Future bluefin tuna quotas will be cut by a third under pressure from a trade ban being considered by the United States.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) voted on Nov. 15 to cut catches of eastern bluefin tuna by a third, from a 2010 quota of 19,950 tons to 13,500 tons. The move came as a last-ditch attempt by the disgraced tuna commission to ward off the trade ban.
“The impending threat of a total ban on trade in bluefin undoubtedly motivated ICCAT countries to bring the catch down by quite a bit,” says Ken Hinman, president of the National Coalition for Marine Conservation (NCMC) and an advisor to the U.S. Delegation. “But is the lower quota enough to save the species, and is it enough to convince the world that an endangered listing under Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species is no longer necessary?”
The U.S. representatives have said that ICCAT’s action is “insufficient to guarantee the long-term viability of either the fish or the fishery [and] we remain committed to pursuing every legitimate avenue to recover Atlantic bluefin tuna and ensure their long-term survival.”
The Obama administration will now decide what to do next. That is, whether, given the long history of illegal fishing and unreported catches in the eastern Atlantic — actual landings often have been twice the quota — trade restrictions are needed to keep total catches low enough to prevent further decline.
The U.S. still should go ahead and ban all trade of the bluefin tuna.
Closer to home, the American shad population in the Hudson River is at historic lows, and the New York State Dept. of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced draft regulations to prohibit commercial and recreational fishing for American shad, both in the Hudson River and the marine and coastal district of New York.
The closure is necessary because the Hudson River shad stock has declined dramatically since the 1990s. Juvenile production dropped to below average in 2002 and has not rebounded.
The public comment period will be open until Jan. 4, 2010. Written comments can be sent to Kathryn Hattala, NYSDEC 21 S. Putt Corners Rd., New Paltz, NY 12561 or by e-mail to kahattal@gw.dec.state.ny.us.