Game over: European Union Sinks Tuna Agreement

The European Union, representing the majority of Mediterranean countries with interests in the bluefin tuna fishery, has bullied other parties in the meeting into agreeing to management proposals which completely fail to follow the advice of ICCAT's own scientific body to substantially reduce fishing and protect the species' spawning grounds.

Despite efforts by a number of concerned countries (1), they were unable to overcome the push by the EU to refuse to adopt measures which could save the species from collapse. In 2009, countries will be able to fish over 22,500 tonnes of bluefin tuna in the fishery, 7,500 tonnes over the level recommended by scientists to avoid the collapse of the population. The new management plan fails to protect the spawning population and merely shortens the purse seine fishing season, responsible for the bulk of illegal catches, by 10 days. The pressure from the European countries has been so strong that they have even managed to slow down the ´payback` for the illegal catches made in the region in 2007.

"The game is over – ICCAT has missed its last chance to save the bluefin tuna from stock collapse," said Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain Oceans Campaigner, who has been attending the Marrakech meeting. "Bluefin tuna has become an endangered species because of ICCAT mismanagement. It's time to take the fishery out of their hands and look to Conventions like CITES to impose trade restrictions on the species."

"These past seven days have demonstrated that ICCAT is a farce – it has run a stock under its management into the ground and it is not even prepared to face the consequences. The meeting has been more akin to a bazaar than a state affair, with governments and industry ruthlessly bargaining for the last tuna," said Losada.

In 2006, following years of extremely high levels of pirate fishing, among others by European Union fishing vessels, ICCAT agreed a bluefin tuna "recovery plan" that set a 'Total Allowable Catch' of 29,500 tonnes for the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. ICCAT's own Scientific Committee recommended a sustainable limit of 15,000 tonnes. Since then the very same scientists have estimated that bluefin tuna catches were about 61,000 tonnes in 2007. (2)

Greenpeace has been calling for a closure of the fishery until a proper recovery plan is in place including at a very minimum a Total Allowed Catch (TAC) in line with the scientific advice, a seasonal closure covering the months of May, June and July and the establishment of marine reserves to protect the bluefin tuna spawning grounds. (3)

"The European Union and the main fishing countries such as Spain and France, which currently leads the Union of 27 Member States, should bear the brunt of the criticism for this shameful outcome," said Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner François Provost. "They have again placed short term financial gain ahead of the long-term survival of the species, and of the livelihood of fishermen that depend on it. ICCAT´s own independent review panel was right – ICCAT´s management of the fishery is an international disgrace." (4)

Greenpeace is campaigning for a global network of fully protected marine reserves covering 40% of our oceans as an essential way to protect our seas from the ravages of climate change, to restore the health of fish stocks and protect ocean life from habitat destruction and collapse