The members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will try to reach agreement at the annual meeting of this regional organisation, being held from 18 to 25 November in Palma de Mallorca, on measures to limit bigeye tuna fishing. It is the third most fished species of tuna in the world, after skipjack and yellowfin tuna (see EUROPE 12142/18).
The current total allowable catch (TAC) of 65,000 tonnes only concerns the main fishermen in the Atlantic, which are Japan and the EU. The others are not subject to quotas. As a result, in 2017, total catches approached 80,000 tonnes, a level that leads to overexploitation of these fish.
Limit to 62,500 tonnes? The EU proposes to limit the TAC to 62,500 tonnes until 2022 and to apply it to the 17 countries fishing more than 1,250 tonnes of bigeye tuna per year. A reduction that some countries on the South American side of the Atlantic (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico...), which are in favour of the status quo, do not want, while those on the African side (Senegal, Gabon, Ghana, Ivory Coast) defend a more limited TAC, between 57 000 and 60 000 tonnes. Brazil, Belize, Curaçao, Panama, Senegal, Cape Verde and Ghana could be subject to quotas, depending on the project. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)