Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission’s (WCPFC) has agreed to slash the catches of bigeye tuna in parts of the Pacific Ocean, a small step in an effort to save a threatened species that is a favorite among sushi lovers. But the environmentalists didn’t like the decision saying they had sought an immediate 30% reduction that scientists advising the body had recommended.
Mark Stevens, senior program officer at the World Wildlife Fund, explained that Commissions charged with protecting tuna populations are proving completely ineffective and inadequate. He further said that if they are willing to ignore the advice of their own scientists, then we can have little faith in their ability to prevent the demise of this species.
According to Stevens allowing the bigeye population to dip any lower could be disastrous, though the lack of accurate catch data from fishing nations made it difficult to set a time frame when it might go extinct. The WWF’s Peter Trott criticized the system, saying plans to put monitors on boats would cover as little as 5 percent of the fishing fleets for all but two months of the year.
Commission Chairman Glen Hurry said the agreement reached Friday in Busan, South Korea, was not perfect but was a “step in the right direction.” He also said that the measures adopted would be reviewed next year and possibly toughened based on scientific evidence “if these don’t seem to be delivering the right result.
Anouk Ride, a spokeswoman for the Pacific Island Forum Fisheries Agency, which represents 17 countries and territories including Australia and New Zealand, informed that the final agreement reached Friday was a good compromise. Ride also said that the commission had a “difficult battle” with the United States, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and the European Union, which fought against many of the measures.
