Saturday, 11th October 2008
Half of the tuna caught last year was illegal
Stocks at high risk of collapse
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) estimates that 51 per cent of all the blue fin tuna caught in the Mediterranean last year was illegal and unauthorised.
The under-reporting of blue fin tuna catches was stressed by the scientific body of the organisation, which is preparing for next month's crucial meeting where new quotas will be agreed upon for next year's fishery.
According to ICCAT's estimates, the total catch for 2007 amounted to 61,000 tonnes, when the agreed quota for that year was 29,500.
Scientists maintained that the bad state of the tuna fishery has not improved despite a recovery plan implemented over the past two years by countries fishing this species.
As part of its EU obligations, Malta is also implementing the recovery plan, which will see a reduction of 25 per cent of its quota over a four-year period.
The plan, adopted in 2006, was initially established to halt the decline of the blue fin tuna population in the Mediterranean.
However, the scientific committee, after evaluating the plan's potential effects and its application during the last two fishing seasons, concluded that mortality from fishing continues to be too high, more than three times what is estimated to be sustainable.
Stocks are at high risk of collapse, which would have serious consequences for fisheries.
Xavier Pastor, the director of Oceana, an organisation that works to protect the world's oceans, said that drastic measures have to be taken next month if blue fin tuna is to be saved. "Scientists have made the situation clear and now it is necessary for ICCAT and all the states involved in blue fin tuna exploitation to act in order to halt the decline and prevent a collapse. Drastic measures should be adopted, such as closing the Mediterranean tuna fishery from June to August, the blue fin tuna's reproductive months."
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Comments
ICCAT seem to have nothing to do with Brussels. (Thanks God for that!)
From a quick look at their site, their physical mailing address is in Spain. The organisation appears to consist mainly of field scientists and technicians (hardly blue collared). They investigate the viability of a selected group of species that are of interest to signatories which are communities around the Atlantic. Since their work is based on science, and is published in publicly available scientific journals, it's unlikely that they will not know what they are doing.
These type of people can accumulate and document a type of knowledge which fishermen would not normally be able to acquire on the basis of intuition and experience alone. The game here seems to be long term viability of stocks in the interest of everyone, and against the interest of poachers and harmful methods.
Another saying if it was not for commercial airlines more tuna could have been caught. If it was not for those pesky Germans going on holiday all the time yo could have caught more fish. Whos side are you on?
The third comment is the only one that is clear and decisive in his views and I definately disagree with them. There is a huge difference between feeding your family and being blood thirsty, neighbor's wife coveting, I have to have more than everyone else greedy. The simple facts are that humans are killing the oceans and anyone who thinks there will always be fish in the sea with current fishing practices is clearly not very bright.
If you do not live with in 20 miles on the ocean then you should not be eating fish from it. Eat what you catch, nothing more.
This should not directed at the traditional fishing practiced around the islands, but at the devastation this highly efficient method of capture is causing to the Tuna stocks.