A joint proposal by the United States, Mexico and Japan to reduce the catch limit of Pacific bluefin tuna in the eastern Pacific Ocean in 2015 and 2016 has been accepted by member nations at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
This comes at a time when numbers of the species, which is considered overfished, have declined to historic lows. According to ICATT, around 80% of the fishing impacts on Pacific bluefin tuna occur in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), with the remaining 20% occurring in the EPO. Japan’s fisheries account for the majority of the catch in the WCPO, says ICATT, while Mexico’s fisheries account for the majority of the catch in the EPO.
“With this agreement we will see reduced impacts on juvenile bluefin, which will contribute to rebuilding goals,” said Barry Thom, US Commissioner to the IATTC. “We can only achieve rebuilding of this important species by working together across the entire range of the species and by reducing both juvenile and adult catch.”
Given the greater fishing impacts in the WCPO, ICATT says reductions in the WCPO catch across all age classes will be critical in allowing the species to rebuild.
“These reductions are not only in line with the conservation advice, but they’re also balanced reductions reflecting where the majority of the fishing impacts occur,” Mr Thom added. “All nations need to do their part in rebuilding this stock and this agreement is a big part of making that happen.”
The staff of the IATTC have recommended a 20-45% reduction in the Pacific bluefin catches in the EPO, limiting member countries’ catches to no more than 6,600 tonnes in 2015 and 2016 combined – roughly a 43% reduction below the average catch from 2010 to 2012.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, which manages fisheries in the WCPO, is expected to adopt additional Pacific bluefin catch reductions at its annual meeting in December.
Member countries are also called on to reduce the catch of bluefin tuna by sportfishing vessels by a proportion similar to the reductions in the commercial catch.
