The decisions taken yesterday at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) sounds the death knell for Mediterranean bluefin tuna, says WWF.
The organisation states that after two weeks of negotiations in Dubrovnik, Croatia, ICCAT decided once again not to follow scientific advice and give in to short-term fisheries interests and claims that the EU must be held directly responsible for this failure.
The WWF release states: ICCAT was meant to decide on a recovery plan for bluefin tuna. A strong and feasible plan had been tabled by the US delegation, adhering closely to scientific advice. Yet the EU blocked the US proposal and tabled its own weak proposal for the next four years. The EU plan, which was finally accepted, includes a quota of 29,500 tonnes in 2007 compared to 15,000 tonnes recommended by ICCAT scientists. The plan also allows fishing during the peak spawning season, which is the worst possible decision for a depleted stock.
"Yesterday's verdict gives the green light to overexploitation of bluefin tuna. This is a plan for collapse, not for recovery of the stock, and a mockery of the work of scientists," says Tony Long, Director of WWF European Policy Office. "The EU is not only responsible for the loss of its own credibility, but also of ICCAT's as a regional fisheries management organisation".
