Brussels, 23/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 24 May, the European Commission reiterated its commitment to implementing international control measures for bluefin tuna catches during the main fishing season 2014.
From 26 May to 24 June, large vessels, purse seiners, will be authorised to fish for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic. This short fishing season is part of the recovery plan agreed at international level to bring the bluefin tuna stock back to sustainable levels.
“The EU has been working relentlessly to protect bluefin tuna: we have reduced our fishing fleet, we have tightened controls. That helped to bring the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna stock back from the brink of extinction. I am confident that we are on the right path”, commented Commissioner for Fisheries Maria Damanaki.
This year, Croatia will be part of the Union fleet for the first time. Consequently, the number of purse seiners has increased and the quota allocated to the EU for 2014 is up 5% to 7,939 tonnes. The other member states which actively take part in the bluefin tuna fishery are Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Malta and Cyprus. These eight countries share the Union's quota, with France and Spain having the largest parts.
In order to ensure that no overfishing takes place, a strict control and inspection programme has been set in place. It involves significant deployment of inspectors, patrol vessels and aircraft coordinated by the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and the member states concerned. The European Commission also monitors catches and analyses Vessel Monitoring System (satellite-based control system) data on a regular basis to ensure that all rules, and particularly the individual vessels' quotas, are fully respected. (LC)