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Contact: Joanna Benn, 202.247.5823 OR Dave Bard, 202.778.4551
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is a regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and tunalike species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.
ICCAT scientists also compile data for other fish species caught during tuna fishing in the convention area, principally sharks.
The 48 contracting parties to ICCAT will gather in Istanbul from Nov. 11 to 19, 2011 for the commission’s 22nd annual meeting.
For too long, ICCAT member countries have overseen precipitous population declines in bluefin tuna, sharks, and other marine species, while illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing undermines conservation efforts. Solutions to these problems exist and are within reach.
Bluefin tuna
ICCAT is one of the better-known RFMOs because it manages bluefin tuna. In many ways, this fish is the commission’s cause célèbre. Overexploited and overfished for decades, Atlantic bluefin have been the subject of bitter debate among conservationists, the fishing industry, and governments. This species is caught off the Atlantic coasts of Canada and the United States, the central Atlantic, Bay of Biscay, Gulf of Mexico, throughout the North Atlantic, and in the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery has been under scrutiny for years because of widespread illegal fishing by the purse-seine fleet and catches that were typically set far above scientific recommendations. However, Mediterranean fishing countries made some improvements in 2010 after years of mismanagement.
- What happened in 2010?
The commission set a total allowable catch limit of 12,900 tonnes—within the range of scientific advice for the first time, although hardly precautionary, given the history of overfishing and illegal fishing for Mediterranean tuna. Such measures are only as good as their compliance and enforcement.
Sharks
Sharks—either deliberately or inadvertently—end up in fishing nets and on longlines, a type of hooked gear that stretches up to 40 miles. Increasing demand and high prices for shark fins in Asia mean that fishermen have little incentive to release the animals alive. There is ample evidence that, even when it is illegal, fishermen often cut off and keep the fins before throwing the shark overboard to die.
- What happened in 2010?
ICCAT adopted measures to prohibit the retention of oceanic whitetip and hammerhead sharks caught in ICCAT fisheries. For species where retention of the animal is banned, no landings are allowed of the fins or bodies. Cutting sharks loose if they are still alive gives them a chance to survive. ICCAT should consider precautionary management measures for the November 2011 meeting for other species at risk, including porbeagle, silky, and shortfin mako sharks.
Illegal fishing
Until illegal fishing is stopped, management and monitoring measures, however good on paper, will be continually undermined. Some States, unwittingly or not, allow their ports to be used for illegal fishing purposes. Others, either on their own or in cooperation with like-minded States, have begun to limit and regulate access to their ports as a means of controlling illegal fishing. Further action is needed to end this practice in the ICCAT convention area, because current action has not effectively stopped pirate operators. In addition, ICCAT should adopt an electronic catch documentation scheme for bluefin tuna to track international trade of these highly migratory fish, as well as cleaning up outlawed on the high seas fishing gear such as driftnets, already banned in the Mediterranean. Both steps would help stamp out fraud and corruption and establish a sustainable fishery.
2011 Recommendations to ICCAT
At the November meeting, the Pew Environment Group will call on ICCAT members to:
- Strengthen control against IUU fishing.
1.1 Implement the electronic bluefin catch documentation system.
1.2 List all Italian operators who have been identified on ICCAT's IUU vessel list using illegal driftnets.
1.3 Improve Port State Measures.
1.4 Require unique vessel identifiers for all vessels operating in the ICCAT convention area.
- End overfishing and support sustainable fishing methods.
2.1 Immediately end overfishing of yellowfin and south Atlantic albacore.
2.2 Mandate gear modifications by prohibiting steel or wire traces in favour of single monofilament nylon traces in ICCAT fisheries.
2.3 Manage the use of fish aggregating devices in the Gulf of Guinea.
2.4 Investigate spawning and nursery areas.
- Conserve threatened shark species.
3.1 Prohibit the retention of porbeagle and silky sharks and establish concrete, precautionary catch limits for shortfin mako sharks.
3.2 Prohibit the removal of shark fins at sea.
- Strengthen ICCAT.
4.1 Improve voting procedures.
4.2 Strengthen the treaty.
4.3 Follow through on Kobe III commitments.
