Fishermen upset at new tuna restrictions

Maltese fishermen have called for the resignation of European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg after the EU announced restrictions on Mediterranean bluefin tuna catches as from next year.

At a joint press conference in Marsaxlokk yesterday, the National Fisheries Cooperative and Ghaqda Koperattiva Tas-Sajd said the Mediterranean fisheries industry had been dealt a blow by the restrictions, which followed recent negotiations at ICCAT - the global body that oversees the rules over tuna fishing - in Croatia.

The annual bluefin tuna quota will be cut from the current 32,000 tonnes to 25,500 tonnes in 2010 in a bid to curb the rapid depletion of the species due to over-fishing.

Fishing will also be prohibited for large-scale pelagic long line vessels of over 24 metres between June and December and between July and December for purse seine fishing, while the authorised minimum landing sizes were increased from 10 kilos to 30 kilos per tuna.

According to Maltese fishermen, however, some Mediterranean fishermen, such as the Croatians, will be allowed to catch eight-kilogramme tunas. Croatian fishermen will also be allowed to build purse seiners, further pressuring tuna stocks in the Adriatic Sea, considered a tuna "nursery".

Raymond Bugeja and Carmelo Bugeja, secretaries of the fishermen's cooperatives, said Malta and Cyprus were the only two EU countries that were not assured a quota within the collective EU established quota.

They said Malta's tuna allocation, a mere 344 tonnes yearly, had not been added to the EU's total quota. The fishermen said they expected Malta to have a fixed quota - which is the established maximum amount of tuna a country is allowed to catch according to the ICCAT - like other countries.

They also protested that whereas the closed season for some fishermen would start from July 1, Basque fishermen would be allowed to catch tuna till November 15.

"We know that the Maltese government's position is different from that of the European Commission. But the government should make it clear to us and explain why Malta was not given the concessions given to other EU fishermen," the fishermen's representatives said.

The fishermen said they would not carry logbooks and vessel monitoring systems in their boats if the situation is not redressed at the January 2007 ICCAT meeting in Japan.

On the other end, environmental lobbies have lambasted the EU for failing to take enough action to protect bluefin tuna, which, scientific studies show, may be extinct in a few years' time.

They said the ICCAT meeting had reduced the quota for the amount of tuna that can be landed but to nowhere near the levels recommended by the body's own scientists.

Though the quota was 32,000 tonnes, illegal netting of tuna in the Mediterranean is estimated to touch the 50,000 tonne mark.

Dr Borg's spokesperson, Mireille Thom, said when contacted yesterday the objective of the Commission's negotiating team in Dubrovnik was to ensure the long-term health of the bluefin tuna fishery for the benefit of all those whose livelihood is connected with it.

"Unfortunately, given the bad state of the stock, this meant that difficult decisions needed to be taken if the collapse of this fishery was to be avoided," Ms Thom said.

According to the Commission, the agreement reached in Dubrovnik was the result of several days of difficult talks among those who wanted to cut the quota by half, along with stricter measures, and those who wanted a more gradual approach to helping bluefin tuna recover.

"The ICCAT plan that was agreed is not perfect but it is the best that could be reached between the various interests. It must be noted that it was tabled and supported by all the Mediterranean coastal states," Ms Thon said.

There was no doubt that the new measures would cause short-term difficulties for the fishermen who fish for bluefin tuna. But, given the state of the stock, she insisted, there was no alternative but to take measures to help its recovery for the long-term benefit of the fishermen and fleets concerned.

"We now have a long-term plan that will be continuously reviewed so that it can be adapted to the situation of the stock. We also have effective and comprehensive measures to allow coastal states to eliminate illegal fisheries that compete unfairly with those who respect the rules and have such a negative impact on the stock.

"As for the quotas of bluefin tuna, the European Commission has committed itself to integrating the quota for Malta and Cyprus into the EU share from 2007," the spokesman said.