Half Of The Bluefin Caught Last Year Was Illegalff

Source: The Times of Malta

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) estimates that 51 per cent of all the bluefin tuna caught in the Mediterranean last year was illegal and unauthorized.

The under-reporting of blue fin tuna catches was stressed by the scientific body of the organization, which is preparing for next month’s crucial meeting where new quotas will be agreed upon for next year’s fishery.

According to ICCAT’s estimates, the total catch for 2007 amounted to 61,000 tons, when the agreed quota for that year was 29,500.

Scientists maintained that the bad state of the tuna fishery has not improved despite a recovery plan implemented over the past two years by countries fishing this species.

As part of its EU obligations, Malta is also implementing the recovery plan, which will see a reduction of 25 per cent of its quota over a four-year period.

The plan, adopted in 2006, was initially established to halt the decline of the blue fin tuna population in the Mediterranean.

However, the scientific committee, after evaluating the plan’s potential effects and its application during the last two fishing seasons, concluded that mortality from fishing continues to be too high, more than three times what is estimated to be sustainable.

Stocks are at high risk of collapse, which would have serious consequences for fisheries.