30
Oct 2008 - Brussels, Belgium: The European
Commission has declined to rule out support
for a temporary shut-down of the Mediterranean's
out-of-control bluefin tuna fishery, ahead
of a critical meeting on the fishery next
month.
The call for a stronger
control system for the fishery follows the
ECs decision to close the fishery two weeks
earlier this year after accumulating evidence
that fishing was well in excess of quotas.
The move adds to the
accumulating pressure on the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas (ICCAT), which meets in Morocco in
November and is tasked with drawing up new
rules for the fishery.
ICCATs scientific committee
maintains current quotas are at least twice
the sustainable catch level, with rampant
illegal fishing pushing actual catches to
more than four times what the fishery can
sustain.
ICCATs most significant
hurdle, however, may be an internal expert
performance review it commissioned into
itself which labelled the management of
the bluefin fishery an international disgrace
and called for its closure until fishing
nations could demonstrate they could control
and account for their catch.
The EC - representing
all EU member states at ICCAT this week
- agreed an ICCAT negotiating mandate that
includes "taking into account scientific
advice, balancing capacity of fishing fleets
and tuna farms with the availability of
the resource, revising technical measures
such as shortening the fishing season…and
pushing for a stronger control system for
the whole fishery".
Speaking on the possibility
of ICCAT opting for a moratorium, current
President of the EU Fisheries Council, Frances
Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier, added
at a press conference last night that the
mandate of the (European) Commission adopted
today does not exclude this scenario.
Meanwhile, European
Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg yesterday
said time is running out to save the bluefin
tuna stock from collapse, indicating that
the EU will now be able to champion bold
and decisive measures at ICCAT in November.
WWF is asking the European
Commission - and all ICCAT Contracting Parties
- to follow the lead of the World Conservation
Congress earlier this month, where an overwhelming
majority of government representatives including
those of major tuna fishing nation Spain
and major tuna market japan voted in favor
of suspending the fishery pending vastly
improved management and control measures.
The Mediterranean bluefin
fishery must be closed by ICCAT in November
- pending the imposition of proper controls,
a reduction in fishing capacity, and the
effective implementation of a scientifically
based recovery plan, said Dr Sergi Tudela,
Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.
The international community
has already shown its consensus that this
is the right thing - indeed, the only thing
- to save tuna in the Mediterranean.
Dr Tudela said that
following a fishing moratorium the Mediterranean
bluefin fishery should only be reopened
on a strict case-by-case basis, as and when
countries have proved clearly that they
have adopted and are ready to apply effective
control and management measures.
Or we can continue to
squabble about a fishery dominated by rule
breakers until there is no fishery to squabble
about at all, Dr Tudela said.
+ More
Top award for WWF-SA
fisheries boss
29 Oct 2008 - Cape Town,
South Africa: Dr Samantha Petersen, a biologist
with WWF-South Africa, has won a prestigious
international award for her research into
the impact of commercial fishing on migratory
seabirds, sea turtles and sharks.
Dr Petersen is the WWF-SA
Responsible Fisheries Programme Manager.
Her entry to the 2008 UNEP/CMS Thesis Award
on Migratory Species Conservation was judged
the winner among those submitted by 32 candidates
from 18 countries.
Another South African,
Dr Ross Wanless, won third place with his
research on "Impacts of the introduced
house mouse on the seabirds of Gough Island."
Dr Lin Xia's thesis on "Traffic Disturbance
to the Migration of Tibetan Antelopes (Pantholops
hodgsoni) in Hoh-xil National Nature Reserve"
took second place.
The award is sponsored
annually by National Geographic Deutschland,
Deutsche Lufthansa, Zoological Research
Museum Koenig and CMS.
The judges noted that
Dr Petersen's thesis on "Understanding
and Mitigating Vulnerable Bycatch in southern
African Trawl and Longline Fisheries"
has made a significant contribution to improving
the affected species' conservation status.
The document urges a holistic approach toward
sustainable use of marine resources.
Dr Petersen says: "This
award is very gratifying as the exposure
will help drive further research and action
to help save these vulnerable species from
extinction.
"Our work in this
sphere is absolutely crucial now. In the
last decade concern globally has grown over
the impact of bycatch on these species,
especially in longline and trawl fishing,
which decimated their populations. It's
estimated that 75% of global fish stocks
are either exploited to their maximum or
over-exploited and that around 25% of marine
resources landed are dumped.
"This has led to
a catastrophic decline in vulnerable marine
life, including the loss of up to 90% of
the large predatory fish."
Dr Morne du Plessis,
CEO of WWF in SA, says: "This is an
important award as it demonstrates not only
the scientific expertise in WWF and in SA's
scientific community, but also highlights
the growing concern over the impact of human
activity on marine resources."
The awards will be presented
in Rome in December.
+ More
EU has strong mandate
to save tuna
28 Oct 2008 - Rome,
Italy – WWF welcomes the strong potential
of the European Commission’s negotiating
mandate for next month’s meeting of the
International Commission for the Conservation
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Marrakech Morocco,
announced last night following EU Fisheries
Council discussions in Luxembourg.
The European Commission
– which represents all EU member states
at ICCAT, the body tasked with sustainably
managing the Mediterranean bluefin tuna
fishery – has agreed a negotiating mandate
that includes “(…) taking into account scientific
advice, balancing capacity of fishing fleets
and tuna farms with the availability of
the resource, revising technical measures
such as shortening the fishing season (…),
and pushing for a stronger control system
for the whole fishery”.
Speaking on the possibility
of ICCAT opting for a moratorium, current
President of the EU Fisheries Council, France’s
Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier, added
at a press conference last night that “the
mandate of the (European) Commission adopted
today does not exclude this scenario”.
Meanwhile, European
Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg yesterday
said “time is running out to save the bluefin
tuna stock from collapse”, indicating that
the EU will now be “able to champion bold
and decisive measures” at ICCAT in November.
WWF asks the European
Commission – and all ICCAT Contracting Parties
– to follow closely the advice urged in
last month’s resolution of the International
Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN),
where an overwhelming majority of international
governments and representatives voted in
favour of a suspension of this beleaguered
fishery – to be followed by vastly improved
management and control measures.
“The Mediterranean bluefin
fishery must be closed by ICCAT in November
– pending the imposition of proper controls,
a reduction in fishing capacity, and the
effective implementation of a scientifically
based recovery plan,” said Dr Sergi Tudela,
Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.
“The international community has in the
IUCN resolution already shown its consensus
that this is the right thing – indeed, the
only thing – to save tuna in the Mediterranean.”
In their latest stock
assessment published in October, ICCAT scientists
gave their strongest yet indictment of the
fishery – now dwindling at only a third
of its spawning biomass compared to 30 years
ago – and reported they have shown a moratorium
would help save the species from collapse.
“After suspending all
fishing activity, the Mediterranean bluefin
fishery should only be reopened on a strict
case-by-case basis, as and when countries
have proved clearly that they have adopted
and are ready to apply effective control
and management measures,” added Tudela.
“There are many rule-breakers in this multi-million
euro fishery, but if we don’t clamp down
with an iron fist on the overfishing there
will soon be no fishery to squabble about
at all.”
Notes to editor
• The IUCN resolution, 'Action for the recovery
of eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna’, voted
in at the World Conservation Congress in
Barcelona in October 2008, calls for the
closure of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna
fishery until it is brought under control
– and for a recovery plan in line with scientific
advice. The resolution also calls for the
establishment of protected areas in the
main breeding grounds. Key fishing state
Spain and key tuna market Japan were among
those supporting the resolution.
• WWF supports the ICCAT scientists’ recommendation
that a revised long-term recovery plan for
the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery should
include an extension of the closed season
to cover at least the fragile spawning months
of May and June; and a reduction of total
allowable catch to between 8,500 tonnes
and 15,000 tonnes (as opposed to the current
quota of 28,500 tonnes).
Gemma Parkes, WWF Mediterranean Communications
Officer
