03
Nov 2008 - Rome, Italy: Pressure for dramatic
action to safeguard the Mediterranean's
dwindling bluefin tuna stocks continued
to mount last week when Italian fishers
endorsed a fishing moratorium as “the lesser
of all evils” and Spanish legislators called
on their government to take the lead in
establishing sanctuaries in key tuna spawning
areas.
The new moves came just
three weeks before an International Commission
for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
meeting in Morocco to consider new management
rules for the fishery.
They also follow an
internal ICCAT review labeling the fisheries
management “an international disgrace” and
calling for its temporary closure.
There was similar call
from the majority of government delegates
to the World Conservation Congress earlier
this month, as well as the adoption of a
strong negotiating mandate for the European
Commission, a key ICCAT member, which could
include support for a closure by the EU
Fisheries Council a week ago.
“These signs from Italy
and Spain are just the latest in a litany
of calls for the closure of the imperilled
Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery,” said
Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF
Mediterranean.
“Both a suspension of
fishing and the creation of sanctuaries
in main spawning areas will be key to the
sustainable management of bluefin tuna in
these troubled waters.”
A WWF report last month
revealed rampant violations of the tuna
fishery rules by the Italian fleet.
WWF welcomed the unanimous
approval by Spain’s Parliament of the proposal
for bluefin tuna sanctuaries south of the
Balearics, in the Central Mediterranean,
and in the Levant Sea, the world’s three
most important spawning grounds for bluefin
tuna.
Spain, which has the
largest Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishing
quota, voted for the World Conservation
Congress motion to close the fishery until
an adequate management regime and other
measures such as the establishment of sanctuaries
can be put in place.
+ More
Pirates taking heavy
toll of toothfish
05 Nov 2008 - Hobart,
Australia: The future of the Patagonian
and Antarctic toothfish and the highly valuable
fishery concentrated in the Southern Ocean
is under significant pressure from illegal,
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
According to a study
released today by TRAFFIC, the wildlife
trade monitoring network, IUU fishing is
severely undermining protection of these
valuable species.
WWF and TRAFFIC are
calling for enhanced monitoring measures
and for trade sanctions to be imposed against
countries continuing to undermine the conservation
measures for toothfish.
The report found that
between 2004 and 2007 the percentage of
trade represented by IUU catch averaged
17 per cent, compared to average estimates
of 10 per cent of total landings.
Toothfish are overseen
by the Commission for the Conservation of
Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).
The new study, “Continuing CCAMLR’S Fight
Against IUU Fishing For Toothfish”, was
presented on today’s final day of a CCAMLR
meeting in Hobart, Tasmania.
“While estimates of
IUU catch for recent years are much lower
than when we last assessed the situation
in 2001, they still represent significant
IUU catch,” said Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC’s Global
Marine Program Leader.
“This needs to be accounted
for and reduced by CCAMLR through further
intervention as this catch continues to
represent a serious threat to the conservation
of toothfish.”
Fetching prices of up
to $35 per kilogram, toothfish has earned
the nickname “white gold” among fishers.
The global black market for toothfish is
estimated by WWF to be worth $200 million
a year.
The identities of the
illegal fishers are often hidden behind
flags of convenience, but states most commonly
selling flags of convenience include Panama,
Liberia, Belize and North Korea.
“We need to protect
the toothfish, not the pirates,” said Rob
Nicoll, WWF-Australia’s Antarctic &
Southern Ocean Initiative Manager.
“Stricter regulation
of trade would assist enforcement - the
pirates wouldn't go after the toothfish
if they couldn't sell their ill-gotten gains.
“These findings reinforce
the need for a range of complementary measures.
This is the only way consumers can be assured
that the fish on their plate is obtained
legally.”
