New York Times: Last act for the bluefin
The international commission that sets fishing limits for tuna and other large migratory fish is meeting in Brazil. The commission faces a depressing reality: the bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean is headed toward commercial extinction. From time to time, the commission has marginally reduced the allowable catch, but never by as much as its scientists have recommended, and never by enough to reverse the fish’s plunge toward extinction. The only quota that will make a difference is zero. The tuna fishery in the Mediterranean, where most of the fish spawn, should be shut down, pure and simple, until scientists say the fish have reached sustainable levels. … Scientists say that overharvesting (much of it illegal) has caused a 72 percent decline among adult bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean over the last 50 years. The smaller western Atlantic stocks have shown similar declines but have now stabilized, partly because of rigorous compliance by the United States. … European countries with big industrial fleets are sure to argue that dropping the allowable catch to, say, 15,000 tons a year from the present 22,000 tons will do the trick. It won’t. We know the commercial stakes are huge: bluefin fishing is a billion-dollar business that is driven by a global appetite for tuna, particularly in Japan. …
