The 21st Session of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concluded negotiations in Recife, Brazil this past Sunday with an improved measure to attempt to begin a real recovery plan for eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna. Led by the European Community and Japan, the Commission adopted a measure that would reduce next year's quota to 13,500 metric tons and promises future reductions in fishing effort and adoption of a plan next year that will have at least a 60% probability of allowing bluefin to recover by 2023. TBF President Ellen Peel served as one of three U.S. Commissioners to ICCAT. She commented, "While this measure is a step forward, it does not allow for a real increase in spawning stock biomass; I am disappointed that no substantive controls were set for the years beyond 2010."
Dr. Rebecca Lent of the NMFS and lead U.S. Commissioner said, "The United States sought a package of measures for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna that would halt overfishing and provide for rebuilding by 2023 with a high probability of success. The science indicates that a total quota level of 8,000 metric tons or lower would have achieved that. While I am pleased with the commitments for significantly lower quotas next year, I am disappointed that parties did not take immediate measures to significantly reduce the quota for the 2010 season."
The threat of a listing of bluefin tuna by the Convention for the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) had a significant effect on the deliberations and it is unclear whether the adopted conservation measures will be adequate to prevent such a listing when the Convention convenes next March. A CITES listing would prohibit international trade in the species but would not impact recreational or commercial fishing in national waters. Most of the bluefin catch is shipped to Japan for consumption.
This year's meeting was preceded by the inaugural session of the Working Group on Sports and Recreational Fishing. The U.S. was the only nation of the 20 attending that submitted detailed information on our recreational fisheries. The working group acknowledged the socio-economic impact of sport fishing and agreed to ask all ICCAT members for definitions of and detailed descriptions of how this sector operates in their national waters. A strong consensus was reached on the need to collect catch and effort data from the recreational fishing sector. Peel added, "Recreational sportfishing is not viewed as a positive activity or an important industry at ICCAT by the predominant 'dead fish on dock' perspective held by most governments and their commercial representatives. This is why it is crucial for our industry's data for catch and effort and economics be very thorough. Until we get other governments to look at billfish as something other than bycatch in their important commercial tuna and swordfish fisheries, we have an uphill battle, but we shall not be deterred."
ICCAT did for the first time, thanks to U.S. persistence and detailed work, take action by identifying and admonishing member nations for failures to provide needed data and singled out Japan, Korea, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and the European Community for exceeding their set quotas for blue and white marlin in the Atlantic. These identifications are important first steps that could lead to trade sanctions.
In other actions, ICCAT adopted a science-based ten year rebuilding program for northern albacore tuna and new science-based conservation and management measures for bigeye tuna. A binding measure to prohibit retention of overfished and vulnerable bigeye thresher sharks was adopted along with a slightly lowered quota for North Atlantic swordfish to 13,700 metric. The allocation of swordfish quota among nations remained unchanged.
Proposals on a large closed zone in the Gulf of Guinea to protect juvenile yellowfin that migrate to U.S. waters, shortfin mako, sailfish, and bycatch controls for sea turtles and sea birds were not finalized before the meeting ended. "Of interest to billfish anglers is the future prospect of requiring all sailfish taken by commercial and non-commercial fishers to be released," said TBF's Dr. Russell Nelson, who was a delegate at the meeting, "which strongly suggests that the U.S. recreational sportfishing community should enter a discussion of the pros and cons of this approach prior to the 2010 ICCAT meeting." The U.S. commercial vessels are required to release all sailfish, but some retention remains within the recreational sportfishing community in the U.S. The eastern Atlantic sailfish are significantly overfished so releasing all sails by all gear could have a significant conservation impact.
The threat of piracy from Somalia is driving some pelagic longline boats from the Indian Ocean back into the Atlantic Ocean, where additional pressure on large pelagics will increase. Two commercial fishing vessels are being held presently.
