Responsible tuna resource management

At the 21st annual conference of ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas), which was held in November in Brazil, a series of measures were agreed upon by the contracting parties for EBFT (Eastern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna) following a proposal jointly sponsored by the European Community, Japan, Tunisia, Morocco and the ICCAT chairman. The more salient measures were:

a. A total TAC (total allowable catch) of 13,500 metric tonnes for the coming fishing season of 2010;

b. A restricted fishing season for purse seiners between May 15 and June 15 and the existing five-day allowance for bad weather has been abolished;

c. Detailed provisions for the reduction in the fishing fleets of the participating states to eliminate over-capacity.

This is, of course, much to the chagrin of the extremist advocates for a total ban of the fishery and to the restrained relief of the industry.

This TAC represents a reduction of nearly 40 per cent from the 2009 TAC of 22,500 metric tonnes. It is to be recalled that in the previous year a cut of 23 per cent had been implemented and, therefore, in the past two years the quota has been reduced from 28,500 to 13,500 metric tonnes, representing a reduction in excess of 50 per cent. In addition, the restricted duration of the fishing season could be a further deterrent to achieving the quota allocated. Together with the most stringent controls any fishery has ever witnessed, these measures are designed to ensure the sustainability of this precious natural resource as well as this socio-economically important fishery and the consequent tuna farming industry in the Mediterranean.

The decision taken in Brazil is a truly balanced one and indeed common sense prevailed. It is in line with the scientific advice of its independent scientific committee for research and statistics (SCRS), which advised that this approach gives a 75 per cent chance that the stocks of this species would be maintained stable and with a reasonable chance of improving over the coming decade. As an extra precautionary measure, a resolution empowering ICCAT to close down the fishery if SCRS foresees any risks of tuna stocks collapsing is under consideration.

For the advocates of the total fishing ban, this spells doomsday for the stocks. The fact that they have been singing the requiem for this species for decades speaks volumes as to their in-house scientific analysis and biased interpretation of the analysis of their independent counterparts. They even tried to hijack the conclusions ensuing from the SCRS meeting held in Madrid last October by disseminating partial interpretations of the report of the scientific meeting and for which they were duly criticised by the ICCAT secretariat.

On the other hand, there is clearly no room for complacency. The pain that would ensue if this fishery were to truly collapse would be unbearable for all concerned. Research efforts must be intensified to strengthen current and future conservation measures. That is precisely why a €20 million research project managed by ICCAT and largely funded by the EU is in the offing.

The Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers (FMAP) has, since its inception in mid-2008, made significant contributions within the framework of the research activities of SCRS and intends to intensify its efforts in the future. This should ensure that this industry, for which Malta has fought so hard to establish itself as a world leader, continues to thrive in a stable and sustainable mode. In this context, the strong competing commercial interests of larger and influential countries must be fully accounted for in any equation. Intensive and unfairly biased propaganda campaigns are there for all to see; these are clearly being funded to the tune of millions of dollars.

Compliance with a vast range of controls has caused considerable pain both to tuna fishermen and cage farmers alike. The European Community has been instrumental in all these positive developments and the relevant Maltese authorities have been proactive and worked hard within the EC framework to organise this industry to what it is today. It is vitally important that other non-EC contracting parties are equally regulated to ensure a level playing field.