Stop bluefin tuna catch, meeting urged

WWF International

WWF Media Advisory
Immediate release: Thursday 5 November 2009

Pressure mounts on tuna commission to shut down Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery

WWF is urging countries meeting in Brazil this week to agree on a temporary fishing ban for the beleaguered Atlantic bluefin tuna, as an essential measure to avoid imminent stock collapse.

The latest science shows that Atlantic bluefin tuna’s spawning population has declined to below 15 per cent of pre-fishing levels – and could even have dropped to under 10 per cent. WWF has warned that bluefin tuna could effectively disappear by 2012 under the current fishing regime.

Last year, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) failed to take action to save Atlantic bluefin tuna, resulting in a proposal to list the species on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) when contracting parties meet in March 2010.

Now ICCAT has another opportunity to show the world it is capable of responsible fisheries management. At its annual meeting in Recife, Brazil, the 48 contracting parties are under pressure to decide on measures that will ensure the long-term survival of a species that has long been the victim of illegal and over-fishing and is in danger of being fished to extinction.

Sally Bailey, Marine Programme Manager at WWF-UK says: “WWF wants to see Atlantic bluefin tuna surviving long into the future – both the amazing species and the fishing industry it has supported for thousands of years. ICCAT has failed in its duty to ensure the sustainable commercial exploitation of Atlantic bluefin tuna, so now the only answer for this species is to stop fishing.”

ICCAT’s own analysis shows that a moratorium will give bluefin tuna the best chance of recovery in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. The organisation’s scientific committee analysed fish stocks at a special meeting in October, demonstrating with their data that Atlantic bluefin tuna fulfils the criteria to be listed on CITES Appendix I.

ICCAT’s scientific analysis also shows that a suspension of fishing is the only measure with a chance of ensuring Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks no longer meet the criteria for CITES Appendix I by 2019.

WWF supports the CITES listing, as proposed by the Principality of Monaco. A ban on all international commercial trade is a necessary parallel measure to a moratorium on fishing. All over the globe, increasing numbers of global retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumers are stopping buying, selling, serving and eating this endangered species.

Heather Sohl, Species Trade Officer at WWF-UK says: “The pressure must be taken off Atlantic bluefin tuna. There is a growing recognition that this species is being fished to extinction, and an international trade ban is one way of ensuring we save this species, in the absence of proper management by ICCAT.”

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Notes:

For more on WWF’s tuna campaign, see www.panda.org/tuna