Brussels, 20/11/2007 (Agence Europe) - Following intense debates, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) finally agreed, during its meeting that finished in Antalya, Turkey, on Sunday 18 November, to continue to implement the recovery plan for eastern bluefin tuna. A full review will be undertaken when new scientific advice is available at the end of 2008. The US and environmental organisations unsuccessfully fought for a temporary ban on this kind of fishing.
In a press release the European Commission welcomed the outcome of the annual meeting of ICCAT on the recovery plan for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. The plan was adopted at last year's annual ICCAT meeting but its implementation was delayed until mid-June for procedural reasons. As a result, most of the 2007 fishing season was carried out before key elements of the plan could be put in place, such as the new control scheme, which is designed to eliminate under-reporting and illegal fishing - identified as two of the main causes of overfishing bluefin tuna, explained the Commission.
The EU itself overfished its 2007 quota by over 4000 tonnes, due to delays to transmit data in a timely manner. In accordance with the agreement obtained in Antalya, the European quota will be reduced by 1400 tonnes a year from 2009-11, as announced to the European Parliament by Joe Borg, the European Commissioner (EUROPE 9544). Compensation offered to states underfishing will take place with effect from 2008. Maghreb countries (Algeria, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia) underfished between 2005-06 and 50% compensation will be awarded them as from 2008.
With the aim of enhancing control and monitoring, ICCAT members have adopted a new catch document to ensure traceability throughout the market chain. According to the Greens/EFA group at the European Parliament, this document will be “complex and difficult to apply”, borne out of a “blatant display of bad faith” among members of this regional fishing organisation.
Next March will see Japan hosting the meeting of all commercial actors involved in the bluefin tuna sector. Greenpeace said that “this kind of approach from such an actor will only result in a little bit more privatisation of an emblematic resource of the Mediterranean people” and provided a “blessing” from ICCAT to the “tuna business” led by the Japanese authorities, which is substituting itself for a management authority. Greenpeace noted that this was a “very worrying development”. The Commission explained that in the context of increases in bluefin tuna catches feeding higher demand from the Asian market, ICCAT is hoping to promote better understanding and coordination between the different actors as a way to “reduce pressure on resources”.
Greenpeace says that the “coup de grace” has just been delivered to bluefin tuna. The 2006 plan contained “limitations and shortcomings” in 2007 (“record overfishing by European countries, persistent illegal practices, illegal piracy”) but will continue as before. The total allowable catches (TACs) for 2008 will be the same as this year (29,500 tonnes) but Greenpeace says it should have been lowered by 10%. The latter explains that the US and environmental organisations were asking for a moratorium on this kind of fishing.
Joe Borg's services are keen to point out that the other results of this ICCAT meeting were: a fall from 34,500 tonnes in 2007 to 30,200 tonnes in 2008 (the same level for 2009) for the total TAC for albacore (northern stock); annual closing down in the Mediterranean for swordfish from 15 October-15 November (first element in a future plan for multi-annual recoveries for this endangered species threatened by excessive catches of juvenile fish at the end of the year; adoption of bird by-catch mitigation measures in the Atlantic longline fisheries; and reducing fishing mortality on porbeagle shark. (L.C.)