Bluefin tuna quotas to be reduced

The European Union and partner members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have agreed a series of measures to try to avert a crisis in the fishing of bluefin tuna, particularly in the Mediterranean.

According to scientific reports, tuna stocks are rapidly being depleted due to overfishing, with the possibility of extinction in a few years' time.

The agreement, reached after more than a week of intense negotiations, will see the implementation of a 15-year plan to be reviewed every two years. The main measures include a reduction in the total allowable catch from the current 32,000 tonnes to 25,500 tonnes by 2010.

Fishing for bluefin tuna will be prohibited for large-scale pelagic long line vessels over 24 metres long between June and December and between July and December for purse seine fishing.

There will also be a substantial increase in the authorised minimum landing sizes from 10 kilos to 30 kilos. Additionally, a global control system will be introduced covering every step of the process, from the catch to the market place through to landing, transshipping and caging operations.

The agreement will also affect Maltese fishermen and tuna breeders. However, sources close to the Commission said that the effects on Maltese fishermen will be limited because they usually fish for tuna using traditional methods and the majority of boats are under 24 metres.

"But as the quota for the EU will be reduced, this may lead to Malta's tuna quota being slightly smaller," sources said.

Malta has an annual quota of 344 tonnes. The final decision on next year's quotas will be taken during the EU fisheries council next month in Brussels.

Tuna fishing is considered a lucrative business for Maltese fishermen and tuna farms with most of the fish being shipped directly to the Japanese sushi market.

European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg welcomed the agreement reached in Croatia saying it represents a realistic chance for the gradual recovery of bluefin tuna and for the sustainability of the fisheries, the fleets and the coastal communities involved.

"It is undeniable that, in the short- term, the new measures will impose sacrifices on all those concerned. But these measures are essential to the rebuilding of stocks on which the future ecological, economic and social sustainability of these fisheries depend," he said.

The agreement, approved also by Algeria, Croatia, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey, imposes a ban on the transshipment of bluefin tuna at sea as regards vessels using purse seines while all landings or transfers to cages will be subject to prior notification and strict control measures. The agreement does not cover recreational fishing where only one bluefin tuna will be permitted for every trip.

According to scientists, the underlying causes of the current problem stem from fishing over capacity and poor enforcement of measures which have resulted in illegal fishing activities.

This plan should lead to a 50 per cent reduction in catches of juvenile tuna as well as a substantial cut in catches of adults, according to scientists.