A meeting in New Zealand has reintroduced an international catch quota for the southern bluefish tuna in a bid to help the declining species. The total allowable catch for the tuna was abolished in 1997 and replaced by national voluntary catch limits.
A reunion of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefish Tuna has brought the total allowable catch. The limit has been set at 14,030 tons of the tuna worldwide.
Australia's catch limit has steadied at just over 5,000 tons. Indonesia's catch limit has been reduced by half to ensure fishing is not undertaken in the tuna's spawning grounds.