On 11 June WWF released a statement saying that European Fisheries Ministers had legitimised the overexploitation of bluefin tuna stocks, while eels just slipped through the net thanks to a CITES listing.
Bluefin tuna
According to WWF sources, catch levels of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic are already fast approaching the limit of 15,000 tonnes that scientists from ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) warned should not be surpassed to save the species from collapse. Regardless of this, the European Fisheries Ministers agreed on measures that almost double the current EU quota.
ICCAT scientists also urged for an increase of the minimum landing size to 30 kg for bluefin tuna, but European Ministers have postponed any meaningful measure on the catch size until next year.
"With the EU failing to take its responsibility in closing the fishery now, there is little hope left to avoid the bluefin tuna stock's collapse," says Aaron McLoughlin, Head of WWF European Marine Programme. "This development makes a farce of the idea of sustainable management of EU fish stocks."
Eels
Both EU Fisheries Council and CITES conference (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) dealt with European eels, which ended in a positive move for the endangered stock. With the combination of the listing under Appendix II of the CITES Convention and the implementation of a strict EU recovery plan, there is hope to see eels stock slowly rebuild to a sustainable level.
