NOAA issued the following statement about the outcome of the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
“As a member of ICCAT, the United States entered this meeting seeking the strongest possible agreement for the conservation of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna,” said Dr Jane Lubchenco, under secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator.
The ICCAT agreement on eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is a marked improvement over the current rules, but it is insufficient to guarantee the long-term viability of either the fish or the fishery. While we are disappointed that the total allowable catch is not lower, we strongly support the commitment to set future catch levels in line with scientific advice, shorten the fishing season, reduce capacity, and close the fishery if the stocks continue to decline. We remain committed to pursuing every legitimate avenue to recover Atlantic bluefin tuna and ensure their long-term survival.
Dr Rebecca Lent, director of the Office of International Affairs at NOAA’s Fisheries Service and the head of the US delegation at ICCAT said, “Negotiations were extremely challenging this year at ICCAT. The United States sought a package of measures for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna that would halt overfishing and provide for rebuilding by 2023 with a high probability of success. The science indicates that a total quota level of 8,000 metric tons or lower would have achieved that. While I am pleased with the commitments for significantly lower quotas next year, I am disappointed that parties did not take immediate measures to significantly reduce the quota for the 2010 season.”
Importantly though, under US leadership in the Compliance Committee, ICCAT made unprecedented progress and held countries accountable for compliance infractions through formal identifications. These identifications can be the basis for future sanctions and are intended to, among other things, help reduce illegal fishing and improve submission of fishing data, which is crucial for scientific projections. In addition, ICCAT adopted a US-sponsored framework for presentation of future scientific advice that will facilitate the use of a precautionary management approach.
