The international organization Greenpeace has made its stand clear on the crisis facing Mediterranean bluefin tuna, an independent review panel of international fisheries experts has branded the management of the fishery by government members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) as an ‘international disgrace’.
ICCAT has commissioned an independent panel to review its performance following concerns raised by the international community about the management of tuna fisheries resources. The Panel in its recommendation asked for the suspension of fishing of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean until countries fully comply with ICCAT’s recommendations on bluefin. According to the Panel such a closure is the only way to stop the continuation of what is seen by observers and by other contracting party countries as a travesty in fisheries management.
The Panel also told that the management of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fisheries was «unacceptable and not consistent with the objectives of ICCAT», such as the objective of guaranteeing that fish populations do not dwindle to unsustainable levels. Besides, the Panel also recommended the immediate closure of all known bluefin tuna spawning grounds, at least during known spawning periods in order to protect crucial breeding areas in the Mediterranean Sea.
The Panel’s report signals that it is time for ICCAT members to take responsibility for the fishery that has brought tuna to near-collapse or be relieved of its management altogether. It is said that ICCAT members will review the current bluefin tuna management plan in November.
