Posted on 17 November
2010
Paris, France WWF is
calling on governments gathering for key
talks on the Atlantic and Mediterranean
bluefin tuna to set an end to rule-bending
and impunity for illegal fishing which led
to decades of overexploitation and brought
the species to the brink of extinction.
Countries which come
together in Paris from 17-27 November for
the annual meeting of the International
Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas (ICCAT) are under the spotlight more
than ever following further fresh data on
illegal fishing and disrespect for rules
coming to light in recent days.
WWF is urging ICCAT
to put in place an ambitious, science-based
management plan that will allow Atlantic
bluefin tuna to recover.
Recent data and revelations
exposed further infringements during the
2010 bluefin tuna fishing season in the
Mediterranean Sea, only compounding the
sense of shock at blatant widespread disregard
for legally binding management rules. Barriers
preventing official ICCAT observers from
doing their job have also been exposed.
ICCAT has long been
the laughing stock on the world stage of
fisheries management except the depletion
of fragile and finite marine resources,
and condemning to ruin of centuries-old
traditions and livelihoods, is no joke,
said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries
at WWF Mediterranean.
Adding insult to injury,
even the official observers recently put
in place have been unable to observe the
fishing records and activities. This is
a farce that must stop now.
WWF is advocating a
cut in total catch of eastern Atlantic (Mediterranean)
bluefin tuna from the current 13,500 tonnes
per year to between 0 and 6,000 tonnes
in line with what scientists say will give
a high chance of recovery to the species.
In parallel, WWF is
encouraging ICCAT members to urgently phase
out the destructive industrial purse seine
fleets that encircle shoals of spawning
tunas, scooping them up in vast purse-like
nets. These fleets supply tuna to fattening
farms in the Mediterranean but this entire
fishing and farming system is shown to be
structurally dysfunctional and entirely
untraceable. The farms should also be cut.
Banning fishing in key
spawning zones in the Mediterranean is a
further measure that WWF says is crucial
to giving Atlantic bluefin tuna a break
and to allow stocks a chance to bounce back.
In Doha, Qatar, in March
2010, a bid to ban international trade in
Atlantic bluefin tuna by listing the species
on Appendix I of the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was
fully justified on scientific grounds but
rejected for political motives. However,
key governments involved in East Atlantic
bluefin tuna fishing and trade Japan,
the EU, the U.S., Canada and Norway pledged
at the Doha meeting their commitment to
follow scientific advice in putting in place
measures to enable the recovery of the species
at this Paris ICCAT meeting.
WWF calls on Japan,
with the largest share of consumption, and
the EU, responsible for the largest fishing
sector, to lead the way in respecting their
Doha Commitments and pushing for the establishment
of a sustainable, science-based recovery
and management plan for eastern Atlantic
bluefin tuna a plan that is also fully
policed and enforced, with punishment being
carried through if those rules are broken,
said Sergi Tudela. It is time to raise
the game.
Governments at the Convention
on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya,
Japan, recently committed to sustainably
manage global fish resources by 2020 adding
further pressure on this crucial ICCAT meeting
starting today.
WWF is also building
a coalition of global businesses pledging
they will not buy, sell or serve Atlantic
bluefin tuna until ICCAT has finally put
in place a sustainable management plan for
the fishery in the Mediterranean Sea.
For more information: Gemma Parkes at WWF
m +39 346 387 3237 // e gparkes@wwf.panda.org
