Brussels, 26/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 26 May, the bluefin tuna fishing season opened in the Mediterranean and the eastern Atlantic, and will run until 24 June.
These dates correspond to industrial fishing by purse seiners and the European Commission states in a press release that this is the first time since the bluefin tuna stock recovery plan was set in place in 2006 that European quotas are up (annual increase of 20% from 2015 to 2017): 9372.92 tonnes in 2015 for all the countries concerned (mainly France and Spain, but also Cyprus, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Malta and Portugal). Large purse seiners account for 61% of the total European bluefin tuna quota.
“Bluefin tuna, an emblematic stock nearing collapse, is back to life. The first time in almost a decade, our fishermen can benefit with an increased quota. Sustainability and good management pay off. We must continue on this route”, commented Karmenu Vella, European Fisheries Commissioner.
In order to sustain this recovery, the EU has reiterated its commitment to fully implementing the international control measures for the bluefin tuna fishery. Also, a strict control and inspection programme has been put in place to avoid overfishing, coordinated by the European Fisheries Control Agency (based in Vigo, Spain) and the member states concerned.
These control standards require that a significant number of inspectors, patrol vessels and aircraft are deployed throughout the entire year. Increased control activities take place during the purse seine fishing season and the caging period of the fish caught alive by purse seiners and traps. For the latter, strict procedures are followed to verify the quantities of fish put in cages for farming purposes.
The European Commission also monitors catches on a constant basis, including through satellite-based control system (Vessel Monitoring System). This, the Commission stresses, is to ensure that all rules, and particularly the individual vessels' quotas, are fully respected. (Lionel Changeur)