The still confidential review, commissioned in November 2007 by ICCAT, says the suspension should remain in force until the fishing nations that make up the members of ICCAT show that they “can control and report on their catch”. Read more
Management madness
What is ICCAT?
ICCAT stands for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna and currently has 42 member nations. Its primary responsibilities are to provide internationally coordinated research on the overall condition of highly migratory species in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea, and to recommend regulatory and management measures to maintain all highly migratory tunas and billfish at their most productive levels.
The Commission conducts annual meetings, usually in November or December, to analyze statistical data and recommend management measures. Scientific advice is provided by the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS).
Member nations agreed to implement ICCAT recommendations domestically within six months; however they often do not.
The Commission conducts annual meetings, usually in November or December, to analyze statistical data and recommend management measures. Scientific advice is provided by the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS).
Member nations agreed to implement ICCAT recommendations domestically within six months; however they often do not.
The main body responsible for managing Atlantic bluefin tuna is ICCAT. The commission was formed in 1969 in response to fears that Atlantic bluefin tuna populations would crash.
However, despite close to 40years of ICCAT’s existence, populations have continued to decline. This is due to management problems, both by ICCAT and by national governments.Examples of management madness in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean fishery (for the eastern population) include:
Failure to reduce catches
Although ICCAT was formed in 1969, it did not recommend limits on catching bluefin until the early 1980s. The first quotas for the eastern population were not established until 1998. Even then, the limits have been too generous, and member nations often ignore them.
For example, in 1996, ICCAT scientists stated that catches of 25,000 tonnes or less would halt the decline of the eastern population. However, in 2002, quotas were set at 32,000 tonnes for the years 2003 to 2006 - 23% higher than the maximum recommended level. And actual catches are even higher than the quotas. Find out more.
Failure to monitor catches in real time
One reason that the quota system doesn’t work is that there are no effective mechanisms in place to monitor overall catches in real time. This means that it is not possible to close the whole fishery when the total annual quota has been met.
Failure to report catches
Rational management of fish stocks requires regular stock assessments. This in turn requires precise information about catches and size composition of fish caught. However, mechanisms in place under EU legislation for reporting such information (compulsory filling of logbooks, landing declarations, etc) are poorly operational, which affect the reliability of national catch statistics. In some cases, total national catches are reported to ICCAT as many as two years after they occurred.
Failure to consider tuna farming as a capture activity
The EU considers tuna farming to be a “post-harvesting practice”, which means that countries are not required to submit data on catches for farms. This only adds to the problems of catch reporting mentioned above. Indeed, ICCAT has noted that catch data have degraded since 1998, after the first farms appeared.
Failure to protect juveniles
In 1975, ICCAT recommended a minimum landing size for Atlantic bluefin tuna of 6.4kg with a 15% tolerance (meaning that no more than 15% of the catch should be smaller than 6.4kg). This minimum landing size has been poorly enforced and does not make biological sense. Find out more
Failure to consider movements between tuna populations
ICCAT has always considered the western and eastern populations of Atlantic bluefin tuna to be separate. However, the latest research indicates that there is substantial movement between the two. This means that overfishing in the Eastern Atlantic could affect the recovery of the western population, and vice versa.