Brussels, 31/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - On the night of 30 January in Kobe, Japan, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICAT) reached an agreement on distribution of bluefin fishing rights between its members. The different parties agreed to gradually reduce their bluefin quotas in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, in compliance with the 15 year action plan adopted last November at ICAT to protect this species under threat by over fishing (EUROPE 9315). Catch reductions have actually been quite soft on fishermen.
In 2006, the total bluefin quota rose to 33,000 tonnes, of which 18,301 tonnes went to EU boats (Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Portugal). During the ICAT meeting, the EU agreed to a gradual reduction of fishing: 16,820 t in 2007 (-8% compared to 2006), 16,249 t in 2008 (-11.2% compared to 2006), 15,679 t in 2009 (-14.3%) and 14,539 in 2010 (-20.5% compared to 2006). Cyprus and Malta will for the first time receive a specific quota (155 and 356 tonnes for 2007 respectively). EU member states that account for almost 57% of all catches by ICAT members can count themselves lucky. During the last Fisheries Council, the European Commission proposed a temporary reduction between 2006-07 of 50%. The Commission will soon present a proposal to transpose the ICAT decisions on bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and Atlantic, into Community law.
Morocco, the second largest tuna fishing nation in these zones, agreed to a 23.2% reduction of its quota between 2006-10 (to 2,441 tonnes by the end of the decade). Japan, the largest tuna consumer in the world by far, will reduce its catches from 2,830 tonnes in 2006 to 2,175 tonnes in 2010, which is equal to a reduction of 23%. According to scientists, the current volume of bluefin tuna catches is three times higher than a level that would enable stocks to replace themselves. Last Friday in Japan, five international bodies in charge of regulating tuna fishing, ratified the first world action plan to halt the decline of tuna stocks (EUROPE 9354). (lc)