Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say
In order to respond to rapidly dwindling tuna stocks, the five Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) responsible for tuna conservation recently met in a first joint meeting.
Japan, the largest tuna consumer worldwide, hosted the meeting from 22-26 January in Kobe. The meeting reached an agreement on a first global plan to address the over-fishing of tuna, with the 60 governments participating recognising “the critical need to arrest further stock decline in the case of depleted stocks (and) maintain and rebuild tuna stocks to sustainable levels.”
Until now, the five RFMOs have made their policies separately. Participants stressed the need for a global approach given that tuna are highly migratory and over-fishing in one area can affect catches on the other side of the world. Though the meeting set no catch limits for tuna, the global plan called for better coordination between the regions, a system of tagging to verify catch numbers, and information-sharing to blacklist illegal fishing vessels.
Conservation groups, which had called for strict catch quotas, criticised the meeting for failing to deliver meaningful action. Japan’s lead negotiator Katsuma Hanafusa countered, however, that reducing quotas was not the purpose of this meeting and that trying to include specific figures in the plan would have stalemated the conference. A number of developing countries were reluctant to agree to quotas. Their concerns were addressed in the final plan, which acknowledged the need to use tuna fisheries for economic development.
A second, follow-up meeting of the five regional organisations is planned for early 2009.
In related news, a subsequent meeting of one of the relevant RFMOs — the Commission for Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna — reduced Japan’s quota for Atlantic Bluefin by more than 20 percent over the next four years. This follows an agreement made in October 2006 to halve catches over the next five years after Japan admitted to exceeding its 2005 quotas. Used primarily in high-end sushi and sashimi, the Bluefin is the most lucrative and endangered species of tuna. There is also concern in the scientific community about dwindling stocks of Bigeye and Yellowfin tunas, but quotas for those varieties were not reduced.
“Fishing Regulators convene to save tuna from commercial extinction,” ALL HEADLINE NEWS, 24 January 2007; “Critics say global plan to save tuna stocks not enough,”, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, 26 January 2007; “Japan summit aims to save tuna stocks,” THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, 24 January 2007; “Japan Atlantic tuna quota slashed by nearly a quarter,” REUTERS, 1 February 2007; “Japan warned tuna stocks face extinction,” GUARDIAN UNLIMITED, 22 January 2007.
Add a comment
Enter your details and a comment below, then click Submit Comment. We’ll review and publish the best comments.