TUNA CATCH DOWN 80 PERCENT SINCE 1990 IN PARTS OF MEDITERRANEAN
ROME CONFERENCE EXAMINES OVERFISHING, IF TUNA BOATS CAN STAY AFLOAT?
27 January 2007 :: Lainey Johr

In Rome on Tuesday, 24 countries met to protect the Mediterranean Sea from the imminent dangers of over-fishing.  Meeting at the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization they announced new cooperative efforts aimed at correcting years of failed policies leading to the dwindling fish populations in some of the region’s most pivotal fishing waters.

Stocks of fish have been declining rapidly over the years, leading to increased monitoring and regulations to protect its invaluable resources.  Included in the plans is the use of fishing nets and trawls that would allow younger, smaller fish to escape capture and to continue breeding.  Most importantly, however, was the agreement to share information regarding individual countries’ fishing operations in the sea, to better gauge fishing activity and to monitor fish reserves. 

Previous plans approved last year by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas have also been agreed upon at the recent UN meeting, throwing the force of the organization behind the measures.

Although species such as hake and red mullet, that are bottom dwellers, stand to gain the most from these new measures, the sea’s history of threatened bluefin tuna stocks remains at the center of the controversy.

Catches of tuna are down 80% since 1990 in parts of the Mediterranean, and evidence shows that fishing quotas are being ignored.  There is also evidence of illegal fishing and vast underreporting of tuna catches, pushing the species to near extinction in areas that have been fished for a thousand years.

Although accounting for only about 3% of all fish caught in the sea, an entire year’s worth of bluefin tuna can barely feed the appetite of the United States alone, making it a highly prized commodity for many markets.

Included in the talks were only 19 of the 24 nation members, but all members must abide by the new regulations.  These nations include Japan, a large stakeholder in fishing operations of the Mediterranean.  About 90% of all bluefin tuna caught there goes to supply the ravenous Japanese sushi and sashimi markets. 

Tuna farming is also in decline in the Mediterranean, due to the decline in the wild populations of tuna that are used in the farming.  Fish farming has attempted to meet worldwide demand and has since caused the price of tuna to drop.  This has led to increased fishing activities and a further population decline of wild fish stocks.

It remains to be seen whether these new regulations will help the struggling fish species or the farmers who rely on their healthy supply. 

Environment News Service:

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/sep2006/2006-09-13-02.asp

BBC News:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5150446.stm

FAO food and agriculture organization of the United Nations:

http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2005/105722/index.html

Environmental News Network:

http://www.enn.com/today.html?id=12038

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