Tuna catches to be slashed but not banned

Fishing for the lucrative bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean will be harder this year but still possible, despite intense pressure by environmentalists for a complete ban to save the species from extinction.

Following a 10-day meeting in Brazil between interest groups involved in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT), it was decided that the total allowable catch would be reduced from 22,000 tonnes to 13,500 tonnes in 2010 - a 40 per cent reduction.

There will also be stricter fishing regulations which include restricting the use of purse-seiners (industrial tuna fishing boats) to just one month of the fishing season.

The ICCAT meeting, which also included a delegation from the Maltese Fisheries Department, agreed also to leave some leeway in case scientists find that tuna stocks are in a worse condition than thought. In that case all fishing will be suspended.

The latest agreement was welcomed by the European Commission at the same time as it was harshly criticised by environmentalist groups.

In a statement, EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said he was confident that this unprecedented set of measures would mark decisive progress in managing and conserving this migrating stock in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic.

"Our goal is to ensure the return to a healthy bluefin tuna stock and a viable and sustainable fishery for our fleet. Admittedly, ICCAT had a very tough task this year but it has certainly risen to challenge," Dr Borg said.

On the other hand, both commissions came in for some harsh criticism by environmental lobby groups and the greens in the European Parliament.

"ICCAT has failed miserably in its conservation responsibilities," protested Spanish Green MEP Raul Romeva during an EP meeting of the Fisheries Committee. He blamed the European Commission for having largely contributed to these "minimalist" positions.

The NGO Oceana was hardly more sympathetic, accusing ICCAT and its member states of having yielded to political and industrial pressure.

"Instead of imposing a moratorium on tuna fishing, the only decision able to ensure the reconstitution of stock, they've decided to implement a quota of 13,500 tonnes; individual vessel quotas will be too low to economically sustain fishing activities, which will definitely encourage underreporting of catches and illegal fishing".

In Malta, the ICCAT agreement was welcomed by the tuna industry and fishermen even though it will still mean a reduction in their income as they cannot fish and cage as much tuna as they did this year.

Calling the agreement "a victory for the environment and for the relevant fisheries," the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers said that the Brazil compromise means that the need to conserve the species has been balanced with the need to retain the fishery for generations to come.