Agreement reached on tuna quota cuts following scientific advice
Heeding advice from scientists, the annual catch of east Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is to be gradually cut in the coming years in a bid to save the species from extinction. The agreement was reached on the new quotas by member countries of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) that met in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from 17 to 26 November. According to scientific advice prepared for the meeting, current catches in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean are about three times above sustainable levels. Poor enforcement of existing measures, experts say, has led to illegal fishing of tuna and overfishing. The agreement, which is based on proposals tabled by the EU, Algeria, Croatia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, seeks to tackle these problems head on. It sets out a range of measures, to be implemented as of on 1 January 2007, over the next 15 years. They include: - a gradual reduction in the total allowable catch from the current 32,000 tonnes to 25,500 tonnes in 2010; - an extension of the closed seasons when bluefin tuna fisheries are prohibited; - an increase in the authorised minimum landing sizes from 10 to 30kg; - a global control system which covers every step of the process, from the catch to the market through to landing, transhipping and caging operations; - the application of a joint international inspection scheme which, for the very first time, will allow for inspections by one contracting party of any contracting party's vessel on the high seas; - the registration of all vessels fishing for bluefin tuna as well as of all traps, thus allowing for a clear picture of the fishing capacity. According to the European Commission, the ICCAT agreement offers a realistic chance for sustainable fisheries of bluefin tuna. A statement cites scientists who say that the multi-annual plan should lead to a 50% reduction in catches of juvenile tuna as well as a substantial cut in catches of adult fish. Commenting on the agreement, Joe Borg, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, said that while in the short term the new measures will impose sacrifices on all those concerned, they are 'essential to the rebuilding of bluefin tuna on which the future ecological, economic and social sustainability of these fisheries depends'. However, for conservation groups, the measures do not go far enough. According to WWF, the agreement failed to follow scientific advice which suggested much lower quotas than those tabled at the Dubrovnik meeting. The organisation says that actual catches of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean are more that 50% over the quota set by ICCAT.