The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) meeting in Marrakech, Morocco, has taken some drastic steps to save bluefin tuna. This has pleased the European Commission as it will strengthen decisively the fifteen-year recovery plan for Eastern bluefin tuna, to protect endangered porbeagles in the Atlantic and to reduce the fishing season on Mediterranean swordfish.
It is observed that through a combination of substantially reduced fishing opportunities, shorter fishing seasons, ambitious new control measures, and a landmark agreement on controlling both fishing and farming capacity, there will be an immediate and significant reduction in fishing pressure on the fragile bluefin tuna stock. ICCAT has reduced the total allowable catch (TAC) for 2009 to 22 000 tonnes, as compared to 28 500 tonnes in 2008, and will be decreased further to 19 950 tonnes in 2010 – a reduction of 30 percent over two years.
ICCAT also decided to reassess the stock of 2011 as it is envisaged to further reduce the TAC to 18 500 tonnes in 2011. These catch limits will be backed up by a four-month reduction in the fishing season for the purse seine fleet. European Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Joe Borg commented that it is necessary to take tough action to save the future of the bluefin tuna stock, and ICCAT’s revised recovery plan demands further sacrifices from the fishing industry, with major immediate cuts in catch levels and fishing seasons, and reductions in both fishing and farming capacity to follow.
