Source: The Malta Independent
The Biological Conservation Research Foundation, BICREF said yesterday that tuna pens were still being tagged on to Maltese coastal waters on Sunday.
It wondered how this could still be if tuna fishing by purse seines (for tuna penning too) by the EU had been stopped on 9 June because it was indicated that the EU member states had already reached their respective quotas.
Bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean has been clearly shown to require closer monitoring and enforcement of regulations to make sure responsible and sustainable fishing might slow down the rate of loss of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean spawning hot spots.
BICREF has been advocating caution and conservation management for the bluefin tuna fisheries since 2000. It said it is sad to note that after so many years too little is being done too late to conserve this species and the sustainable artisanal fishermen communities.