The EU is “concerned” that the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) failed to adopt robust, science-based conservation measures for tropical tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the European Commission said in a press release published on Friday 17 February.
A last-minute agreement was reached at the IATTC meeting (which ended on 10 February in La Jolla, California) on catch limits for certain fisheries in 2017, but “falls short” of what is needed to guarantee long-term sustainable management of tuna stocks, the Commission continues. In addition, it expresses regret that, despite EU support for a plan to reduce fleet overcapacity within that regional fisheries organisation, capacity continues to increase.
Scientists had recommended closing the big-eye tuna and yellowfin tuna fisheries for 87 days. The EU supported this proposal, but most IATTC members deemed this measure unacceptable. IATTC decided only to set a global catch limit for big-eye tuna and yellowfin tuna caught through fish aggregating devices (FADs), and a limit for yellowfin tuna for dolphin-associated fisheries.
No limits were imposed on other fisheries, which will continue to be regulated by the current 62-day closure, “despite sharp catch increases in this fishery”, the Commission regrets. “This solution is less than satisfactory”, state the services of Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella, as it risks encouraging “Olympic fisheries” – a race to catch fish – and is “difficult to implement and control”. Furthermore, this measure will only apply in 2017, with little regard for the long-term management of the stocks concerned.
The EU urges all IATTC parties (which include United States, Belize, Canada, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, EU, Japan, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru and Venezuela) to agree on a capacity management plan to address fleet overcapacity and to take measures to limit the number of FADs used in the region. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)