1 October 2008
Japan Source: Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Southern Bluefin tuna stocks continue to be overfished, with the Japanese being blamed for doubts about the accuracy of scientific data on the fish.
Our reporter Tim Jeanes says “overfished and subject to overfishing†is how the latest Australian Government Fishery Status Report is describing southern Bluefin tuna.
The report says it comes at a time when the reliability of assessments is poor because of a high level of uncertainty about historical catch-and-effort data.
This has arisen from the discovery of high levels of unreported catch.
That includes a 2006 review of the Japanese market which confirmed significant levels of unreported catch over many years.
The study says the full impact of the unreported catch on stock estimates remains uncertain.
In relation to other species, the report says there’s been an improvement in stocks.
The number of species classified as overfished and/or subject to overfishing continues to decline.
