The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) has agreed new sustainable management procedures for bluefin tuna and shortfin mako sharks and better protection for sea turtles.
Measures agreed by the EU and the 47 contracting parties of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) at this year’s annual meeting will see key measures put in place to ensure improved management of ICCAT fisheries.
After years of research, analysis, modelling and testing, ICCAT said that the newly adopted management procedure for the iconic bluefin tuna will be ”more transparent, inclusive and robust”.
Better conservation
Based on the recent scientific knowledge of the stock’s reproduction and migration patterns, the new management procedure has been developed with active engagement of EU scientists and with EU funding.
It will provide the basis for total allowable catches (TAC) of 40,570 tonnes for the eastern stock, with a share of 21,503 tonnes for the EU.
Following up on the EU’s many initiatives over the last few years to strengthen control of the live bluefin tuna fishery, a proposed pilot project for the use of stereoscopic cameras backed by artificial intelligence will explore a promising avenue to close one of the remaining important weak points regarding control.
The EU has also tabled an ambitious proposal for the conservation of South Atlantic shortfin mako (SMA) to prevent the southern stock from following the same downwards trajectory as the northern stock.
During the course of the negotiations, it became apparent that no agreement could be reached on the full retention ban, which was at the core of the EU proposal.
Eventually a solution was found in a total retention allowance of approximately 1,300 tonnes which together with estimated discards, does not exceed the limit of 2,001 tonnes proposed by the ICCAT Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS).
Also at the meeting, ICCAT agreed a new recommendation for the conservation of sea turtles. The provisions adopted will be applied to the Atlantic and will contribute to reducing sea turtles’ mortality in ICCAT fisheries.
No agreement has been reached on a recommendation on a new multi-annual conservation and management programme for tropical tunas.
