25,000 M/T Of Poached Bluefin Tuna Supplied To Japanff

Massive illegal fishing of southern bluefin tuna has been discovered in international waters.

Federal authorities believe that about 40,000 tons of southern bluefin tuna is ending up on the Japanese market each year, while the annual international fishing quota is for only 14,930 tons.

The Australian Government has submitted a paper to the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna showing the extent of the overcatch.

The detection by federal authorities comes as the local tuna farming industry battles to prevent a severe cut to its fishing quota of 5000 tons a year.

It also coincides with the start of the annual fishing season in the Great Australian Bight with the tuna being towed back to the Port Lincoln tuna farms.

Australian Tuna Boat Owners Association president Brian Jeffriess said the scandal was expected to add weight Australia’s bid to preserve its annual tuna fishing quota.

Mr. Jeffriess said the amount of southern bluefin tuna reaching the Japanese market had come as a real shock to the local industry.

It follows a decision in September by the commission that the annual world catch be halved from 2007 to prevent the species from being further depleted.

But since the discovery of widespread illegal fishing, the commission has established an audit committee for the Japanese market so the annual tuna quota can be recalculated.

Mr. Jeffriess said the Port Lincoln tuna industry has disagreed with scientific stock assessments showing that tuna numbers were declining for a number of years.

He said knowledge of the amount of Southern Bluefin tuna sold on the Japanese market each year, meant fish stocks were far stronger than previously believed. Mr. Jeffriess said it was clear Australian fishermen weren’t involved in the overcatch.