Bluefin Witness - Issue 3

Scientists restate concerns

As reported in previous editions of WWF’s Bluefin Witness, the scientists advising ICCAT have expressed grave concern at the plummeting numbers of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.

In a new statement issued in October, the ICCAT scientific committee has once again said that the current rate of fishing is putting the stock at high risk of collapse.

Standing by the advice which it gave in 2006, ICCAT scientists call for substantial reductions in fishing mortality and catch and says that the current level of fishing is expected to drive the spawning biomass to a very low level which, it considers, will give rise to a high risk of fishery and stock collapse.

Having assessed a number of scenarios for recovery, ICCAT scientists say that only one approach will save the stock: closure of the Mediterranean to fishing during the spawning season (the peak fishing season) and enforcing a decrease in the mortality of small (juvenile) fish.

In addition they have again called for a reduction in the total catch to 15,000 tonnes, less than half the total catch authorized by ICCAT in 2007 and three times less than what is estimated to be taken each year. Even with such measures, ICCAT scientists believe it will take in the order of some years to realize the benefits.

The scientists also pointed to the high likelihood that the actual catch is far in excess of the allowable catch, a problem exacerbated by the increase in tuna farming.

Fish laundering

With illegal spotter plans in use throughout the fishing season and the open declaration of some fleets to continue fishing after closure, there was every reason to expect high levels of illegal activity during the 2007 season.

A number of recent reports in the media confirm that this has been the case and France, particularly, has been in the spotlight, following indications of
overfishing and misreporting by its fleets.

The southern French daily, ‘Midi Libre’ reported that French purse seine operators had made false declarations of catches that had in fact been made by other European fleets - especially Italian. In addition, the French press agency, AFP, also alluded to the re-flagging of French, Italian, Tunisian and Turkish fleets to Libya, to exploit the last remaining breeding grounds for bluefin in the Mediterranean - the Gulf of Syrte in Libya.

The enquiries, if held, will compare official catch declarations with satellite information on fleet movements and data on offloads at tuna farms and foreign ports.

ICCAT also has a duty to punish fleets for overfishing and illegal fishing. Their response to this will prove pivotal in the future of the fishery. If ICCAT cannot control the fleets to stay within quotas already set too high, the bluefin tuna stock has little chance of survival and the authority of ICCAT to manage the fishery must be seriously called into question.

Spinning

Legally, the bluefin tuna season in the Mediterranean was supposed to end on July 1st at the latest, or sooner if the quota was reached. Any fishing by large purse seine vessels after this date was illegal.

The EU quota for 2007 was estimated to have been reached in June, ahead of the fishery closure date, yet on September 19th, a month and a half after the season had already closed for industrial purse seine fleets, the European Commission announced that it was ending the season in response to concerns about the stock.

At a time when it is clear that the EU fleets over-fished their quotas and used illegal means to do so, this statement from the Commission has the hollow sound of spin.

According to WWF sources, the European Commission submitted data to the European Parliament regarding France's bluefin catches which showed that EU fishing fleets had exceeded EU catch quotas by some 4,000 tonnes. France, for example, almost doubled its national quota, fishing 10,165 tonnes by the end of August this year compared to its 5,593-tonne quota.

Recognising that European fleets have overfished their 2007 quota, the European Commission acknowledged “failings in the reporting of catch data” and illegal fishing and European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg recently commented on the “problems of overfishing a stock already threatened with collapse and of equity between the Member States.”

Making hay while the sun shines

Despite being informed of the high levels of illegal and uncontrolled fishing occurring during the 2007 season, Japanese traders choose to continue benefiting from the bluefin stock’s mismanagement. This includes the Mitsubishi Corporation, which accounts for some 40 per cent of Mediterranean bluefin imports to Japan.

Although grave concern has been expressed in Japan about the future of the stock, the traders continue to import what they can, while they can, thus rewarding the ongoing rampant overfishing. The same applies to the tuna farmers who continue to accept catches that are potentially in excess of legal quotas - companies like Ricardo Fuentes e Hijos, the biggest tuna farm company in the world.

Although it is impossible to determine how many illegal and unreported catches occur or to determine whether or not an individual fish is legal, those purchasing the fish have a responsibility to support enforcement measures if there are to be tuna in the future.

The reality is, all catches from the Mediterranean are suspect and traders and farmers should demand traceability and full accountability if they are not to be complicit in the stock’s collapse.

Voices of concern

The Supermarket
Carrefour
Italian news agency AGI reports that European supermarket chain Carrefour is "definitively" taking bluefin off the shelves of its Italian shops, due to the "at-risk" status of the species. From the supermarket group's statement, AGI quotes: "This decision does not mean asking [our] numerous clients to make any sacrifice, it is rather a common investment to facilitate tuna recovery and avoid extinction."

The Conservationist
Dr Sergi Tudela
Sergi Tudela has been working in Mediterranean marine conservation for 15 years. His fears over the future of species such as bluefin is one of the main reasons he joined WWF to lead its fisheries work in the Mediterranean.

Speaking about the Mediterranean season this year he said: “The situation in the field so far is more critical than ever – perhaps even worse than I feared.

“This year we have seen it all - fishing during the closed season, use of illegal spotting planes, massive over-quota catches, an international web of fraud to conceal the catches, fish laundering – the stock does not stand a chance under this onslaught and the failure of ICCAT contracting parties to implement the adopted management plan renders it devoid of content and of any meaningful conservation impact. The situation could not be more serious.

“It is the most scandalous case of fisheries mismanagement currently happening in the world and certainly one of the worst I have ever witnessed. The fishery is clearly out of control and even the most fundamental prerequisites for fisheries management to take place are not met; the bluefin tuna fishery in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean is de facto unregulated.

“At this point and against this crisis, there is no alternative but a total closure of the fishery for at least three years to allow some semblance of stock rebuilding.

“Then and only then can we think of reopening with a strict recovery plan set along the lines of scientific advice.”