Activists call for ban on commercial fishing of bluefin tuna

Environment groups have called for a ban on commercial exploitation of endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna following assessment by scientists of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) that the current status of the fish population meets the criteria for a ban on international trade.

The scientists met in Madrid, Spain, from October 21 to 23 to assess current stock status of Atlantic bluefin tuna against the specific criteria necessary to list a species under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). ICCAT's scientists estimate the current population of the fish is less than 15 per cent of what it once was before fishing began - meaning Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a CITES Appendix I listing.

Bluefin tuna fisheries in some parts of the world have already commercially collapsed, such as the North Sea, Norwegian Sea or off the coast of Brazil. Where fisheries remain open in the Mediterranean or the Gulf of Mexico, the population is at critically low levels at which the only alternative to fishery closures is complete stock collapse (and potential extinction).

''What is needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade - this is the only possible package that can give this fish a chance to recover,'' Vinod Malayilethu, Senior Coordinator, Marine Conservation Programmes, WWF India said here. ''We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place.

An opportunity has now arisen for India to reinforce its pro-conservation approach by supporting this proposal, made by Monaco,'' he said. On 14 October, the Principality of Monaco submitted a CITES Appendix I listing proposal to temporarily ban international commercial trade and allow the species to recover from years of ineffective fisheries management and control. Monaco's proposal is gaining increasing support from different countries.

The decline of the Atlantic bluefin tuna can be a wake up call for India as it is looking to rapidly increase tuna fisheries in the Andamans, Lakshadweep and other places. India must exercise caution and be pre-emptive by incorporating an ecosystem model of management which includes the declaration of no take marine reserves, in consultation and with the complete participation of traditional fisher communities, in order to avoid wiping out of a valuable resource, says Sanjiv Gopal, Campaign Manager - Oceans, Greenpeace India. Independent of what ICCAT decides to do, it is undeniable that Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a suspension of trade through a CITES Appendix I listing - and if ICCAT stops the fishing too, so much the better for this species, adds Malayilethu. Both WWF and Greenpeace urged ICCAT to impose a zero quota at the organisation's next annual meeting on 6-16 November in Recife, Brazil. Interest will focus on what ICCAT does with the advice of its own scientists; in the past, the advice of ICCAT's scientists has been largely disregarded.

The verdict from ICCAT's scientific committee will be submitted to the 48 Contracting Parties when they meet in Recife. The next Conference of the Parties of CITES, meanwhile, is in Doha, Qatar, in March 2010, when WWF and Greenpeace are calling on the 175 CITES member countries to vote in favour of an Atlantic bluefin tuna Appendix I listing.

-- (UNI) -- 31DI17.xml

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