03 Sep 2007 - WWF is advocating
the immediate establishment of a sanctuary
for the imperilled bluefin tuna around the
Balearic islands in the western Mediterranean.
Along with other international and Spanish
conservation organizations working to save
the marine environment — Ecologistas en
Acción, GEN-GOB and Greenpeace —
WWF is calling on the fisheries administrations
of the European Union, the Balearic islands
and Spain to set up a protected area in
the archipelago to protect the species from
severe overfishing.
The proposal for this sanctuary is based
on scientific research by Spanish marine
biologists, whose findings show the outstanding
importance of the area for the breeding
of the species.
The Balearic islands were traditionally
the most important breeding ground for bluefin
tuna in the world, but massive overfishing
in the last ten years, especially by French
and Spanish fleets, has seen stock levels
plummet to a dangerous all-time low.
In only five years, the industrial catch
of bluefin tuna in the Balearics has dropped
by 85%, from 14,000 tonnes in 2001 to just
2,000 tonnes in 2006.
“Industrial tuna fleets may have exploited
Mediterranean bluefin to the point of no
return in Balearic waters, and the breeding
tuna have nowhere left to hide,” said Dr
Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF's
Mediterranean office based in Rome.
“We urgently need this sanctuary to give
a fighting chance to the breeding bluefin
that still remain. Where else can the tuna
go?”
WWF is calling for legal measures to support
the establishment of this bluefin sanctuary,
as well as much stricter control of tuna
fishing activities across the Mediterranean.
“Massive illegal fishing is allowed to
continue season after season, estimated
at almost 50% of all activity in the Mediterranean
bluefin fishery,” added Tudela.
“Strict monitoring and observation are
crucial to protect vulnerable stocks and
avoid collapse.”
WWF is also calling on those involved in
the fishery to get bluefin tuna on the agenda
of the next meeting of ICCAT in Turkey this
November, to establish an appropriate scientifically
based recovery plan.
Gemma Parkes, Communications Officer
WWF-Mediterranean
+ More
World’s first sustainable tuna fishery
certified in US
06 Sep 2007 - San Diego, California, US
– The world’s first certified sustainable
tuna fishery was announced today, a move
that could help save one of the world’s
most valuable fish — and the fishing industry
that relies on it — from extinction.
The American Albacore Fishing Association
(AAFA) based in San Diego, California, has
been officially certified by the Marine
Stewardship Council, an independent standard-setting
organization that ensures fish are caught
according to strict methods that avoid overfishing
and bycatch (the unintended capture of other
fish, seabirds and marine mammals).
WWF sponsored the assessment of the fishery,
hailing the move as a hopeful sign for dramatically
declining tuna stocks, fishing livelihoods
and food security.
“If we want our grandchildren to have tuna
on their dinner plates and in the sea, sustainable
tuna fishing practices must be adopted,”
said Meredith Lopuch, Community Fisheries
Programme Director with WWF-US.
MSC milestone
The AAFA tuna fishery is a small, family-run
fishery operating out of San Diego. Its
members pride themselves on the care they
take to protect the marine environment.
“Tuna fishermen seem to get a bad rap in
a worldwide way,” said Skipper Jack “Bandini”
Webster.
“Most of the fishermen who are left love
the ocean. You’ve got to love it because
it’s real hard work. Being certified sustainable
is important to us. Fishermen who are doing
the right thing should prove that they are
and talk about it. That’s what this certificate
is all about.”
Consumers will be able to buy the MSC-certified
tuna in stores nationwide later this year.
“This really is a milestone event and one
that demonstrates the applicability of the
MSC programme to migratory species,” said
Rupert Howes, Chief Executive of the MSC.
“The certification of the AAFA tuna fishery
is a huge achievement for the fishermen.
By demonstrating their sustainable practices
through MSC certification, AAFA is making
it possible for consumers to make the best
environmental choice in tuna.”
Threatened stocks
With an export catch valued at US$5 billion
in 2002, the world’s tuna fisheries are
facing a number of urgent problems — declining
stocks, poor fishing management and regulation,
and significant bycatch — that threaten
their survival and endanger wider marine
ecosystems.
Currently, all 23 commercially exploited
tuna stocks are heavily fished, with at
least nine classified as fully fished and
four more classified as overexploited or
depleted. Three are considered Critically
Endangered, three as Endangered, and three
as Vulnerable to Extinction.
Together, the seven principal market species
— albacore, Atlantic bluefin, bigeye, Pacific
bluefin, skipjack, southern bluefin and
yellowfin — are the single most important
resource exploited on the high seas, accounting
for over 7% of total marine capture fisheries
production and 11% of the total value of
fish landings for consumption.
With 21 vessels, AAFA harvests about 30%
of albacore tuna caught using the troll
and/or pole and line method in the North
Pacific. The troll and/or pole and line
method avoids bycatch.
In contrast, tuna long-line fisheries deployed
some 1.2 billion hooks in 2000 alone, capturing
and killing many non-target species including
seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks
and other fish. Long-line and purse-seine
fishing methods account for nearly three-quarters
of global tuna catches.
“Certification of the first sustainable
tuna fishery shows it can be done,” stressed
Lopuch.
“If others change to improve their practices
and follow suit, there’s a future for tuna
and tuna fisheries.”
Lee Poston, Director, Business Media Communications
WWF-US
