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Commercial Fisheries News
Volume 37 Number 5
January 2010
ICCAT ratchets down eastern bluefin quotas
RECIFE, BRAZIL – Under intense pressure from environmental groups to radically slash bluefin tuna catches in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, more than 350 delegates from 39 member nations gathered here Nov. 9-15 for the 21st meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
After days of grueling work sessions and negotiations, the full assembly adopted a groundbreaking agreement to rebuild bluefin stocks and toughen compliance standards.
In its official statement on the results of the meeting, the commission pointed out that it had already begun the process in 2006 and 2008 by adopting “increasingly restrictive management measures to halt overfishing,” reduce fleet capacity, and substantially improve monitoring and control of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean fisheries.
According to ICCAT’s Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS), those efforts have already produced results. Harvests this year were expected to be 3,000 metric tons (mt) below the 22,000-mt quota set for 2009.
While that quota was higher than scientific recommendations and triggered fury last year when ICCAT adopted it, the shortfall was generally seen as an indication that eastern and Mediterranean fishing nations were finally yielding to worldwide demand for true conservation.
“At this 2009 meeting, the commission agreed to even stronger measures … that are expected to accelerate rebuilding of the stock to levels that can produce maximum catches at sustainable levels,” ICCAT said.
Agreement details
These measures included:
A 2010 total allowable catch of 13,500 mt, down from the 2009 limit of 22,000 mt;
An agreement to establish next year new management measures with a 60% probability of meeting stock rebuilding targets by 2023;
Further reductions in fishing capacity;
A 100% observer program for purse seine and farming operations;
A comprehensive documentation system that will track bluefin tuna products from the point of catch to the first point of sale both within a country and internationally;
Near real-time catch reporting requirements for more effective quota monitoring; and
A penalty schedule for member countries that do not comply with these management measures.
All together, this amounted to a “sea change” in the willingness of historically noncompliant European Union (EU) and other eastern Atlantic/Mediterranean nations to get serious about conservation, according to long-time US ICCAT delegate Rich Ruais.
“I’ve clearly been one of the biggest EU bashers for decades, but they produced evidence that they have wrestled control of their farming and fishing industries,” Ruais said. “More than baby steps for conservation, these were giant steps.”
Outrage
But a sea change wasn’t good enough for environmental groups, which swiftly and unanimously condemned the outcome.
Sergi Tudela, head of the World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Mediterranean fisheries branch, called the agreement “entirely unscientific and entirely unacceptable.”
WWF had argued for a complete closure of the fishery as the only way to adequately recover the stock and, short of that, said it would vigorously pursue a trade ban under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
Even Rebecca Lent, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Office of International Affairs and head of the US delegation, suggested ICCAT could have done more.
“The US sought … measures … 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 mt or lower would have achieved that,” she said in a statement released right after the meeting. “I am disappointed that parties did not take immediate measures to significantly reduce the quota for the 2010 season.”
Stage set
However, in a later interview, Lent further explained that the agreement does provides for quota reductions in 2011, 2012, and 2013 that will have a better than 50/50 chance of rebuilding the stock by 2023.
“As we always do, we sought science-based management measures and improvement in compliance,” Lent said. “We wanted to see progress at ICCAT. By ICCAT standards, we had good news.”
Political support
Lent credited the US delegation for the accomplishments at the meeting. She additionally noted that the pressure for a CITES listing had drawn the attention of members of Congress, who sent staffers to observe the meeting.
Also attending was Margaret Spring, chief of staff for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Director Jane Lubchenco.
Ruais emphasized the importance of the presence and participation of these high-level individuals.
“It helped a lot because pressure was being applied to get the EU to go as low as possible on the quota,” he said.
Ruais specifically thanked US Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-ME) for sending staffer Michael Conathan to the meeting and for his strong contributions to the delegation’s work.
He also praised Lent and Chris Rogers, also of the NMFS Office of International Affairs, for their leadership and negotiating skills.
Compliance
Rogers, who was once again elected to serve as chairman of ICCAT’s compliance committee, introduced what the commission called “a new way of working,” carrying out a country-by-country review of compliance with ICCAT-obligations.
The review was conducted during a full session, so representatives of countries that failed to meet their obligations had to acknowledge that fact publicly.
“Despite initial resistance, Chris painstakingly walked through nearly every minor and major infraction by contracting parties,” Ruais wrote in a memo to Blue Water Fishermen’s Association members soon after the meeting. “Eventually, confessions were being volunteered along with commitments to rectify deficiencies. Even the US will receive a notification letter from ICCAT over a minor data transshipment matter involving two tons of bluefin tuna.”
Said ICCAT, “This was an extremely time-consuming process, but members agreed that it is an excellent working methodology that will result in improved reporting as well as improved compliance with management measures.”
Western bluefin
The US delegation successfully fended off an EU attempt to impose additional compliance requirements on the western Atlantic bluefin fishery, including providing a list of vessels in the fishery and monthly landing data.
The measures were unnecessary, according to Lent.
“There is no evidence of overcapacity or illegal trade” in the west, she said.
The western quota will drop to 1,800 mt in 2010, but that reduction was already scheduled under a previous ICCAT agreement. On a positive note, Ruais pointed out that, come next year, the west will no longer be overfishing and the western Atlantic stock will be on track to be rebuilt by 2019 if not before.
Swordfish
For North Atlantic swordfish, ICCAT lowered the quota from 14,000 mt to 13,700 mt in accordance with scientific advice and extended the existing allocation arrangement.
That means the US will retain its 30.49% quota share and US fishermen will have a base quota of 3,823 mt before distribution of underharvests.
Ruais credited Lent, Conathan, Blue Water adviser Glenn Delaney, Mark Gleason, a Knauss Sea Grant fellow working for the Senate Commerce Committee, and NMFS staffers Russ Dunn and LeAnn Southwind for their work to ensure that the US was treated fairly during these difficult negotiations, which resulted in a commitment by the US and Canada to share conservation tools, including circle hooks and turtle release techniques.
“Our fleets work on the same grounds, using the same gear. We’ll share technology to reduce takes of turtles, marine mammals, and juvenile swordfish,” Lent said.
Lent added that, through observing these negotiations, she thought a number of the environmental group representatives came to understand the idea that “we shouldn’t penalize countries (like the US) that don’t catch quota because they have adopted an ecosystem approach to management.”
Lorelei Stevens
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