The Commissioner of Fisheries for the European Union (EU), Maria Damanaki, said she was ready to propose the closure of the fishery and branded the CITES decision disappointing. Association criticizes the lack of prudence of the Commissioner, in his opinion, should have waited to the final results.
The Fishing, Trade and Consumer Affairs Association managing Southern Bluefin Tuna (APCCR) considers irresponsible the statements made by the European Commissioner of Fisheries, Maria Damanaki, who claimed to “be prepared to close the fishery†and that the CITES decision “was disappointingâ€.
Grounds for APCCR’s criticism is that Damanaki’ proposal “is just a personal opinion†that has nothing to do with the scientific information available to the Commissioner and made available by the Committee of the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) after meeting early September, and the results of which will made public this week.
Early data suggest that the recovery plan launched four years ago “is paying offâ€.Therefore, “the prudent and responsible that Damanaki should have taken would have been to wait for the final results†before threatening the viability of a sector, says the APCCR.
