Japan takes lead in Atlantic bluefin tuna battle

Paris (AFP) Nov 19, 2010 – Japan took centre stage Friday at talks on the future of Atlantic bluefin tuna, issuing a call for negotiators to respect science and crack down on renegade fishing. Facing declining stocks and over-exploitation of a fish prized in Japan as gourmet sashimi and sushi, Tokyo issued a sharp warning to bluefin-trawling nations on the Mediterranean rim. Countries that fail to show they will honour catch limits “should not engage in fishing in 2011,” chief delegate Masanori Miyahara told the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in a closed-door session. In an opening statement obtained by AFP, Miyahara was to propose a new rule whereby each party’ “ability and plan” to monitor and police their catches of bluefin be first submitted to ICCAT’s compliance committee. The 48-member ICCAT, meeting in Paris until November 27, is charged with setting the rules and quotas for Atlantic fishing of bluefin. It is also tasked with monitoring compliance, for which it has only a spotty record. Until this year, the organisation has routinely ignored the catch limit recommendations of its own scientists. Even then, the more generous quotas set were often surpassed by a wide margin. Industrial-scale fishing using huge trap nets during spawning season have helped drive down stocks by about 85 percent, marine biologists say. … “Japan has the key, and the means to convince fishing countries to accept the necessary conservation measures,” said Sergi Tudela, a fisheries expert at WWF Spain. … “On tuna and sharks, what Japan is saying and putting in writing is great, now they have to deliver,” said Sue Lieberman, policy director for the Pew Environment Group. “Much more needs to be done.” They also point out that Japanese companies — notably industrial giant Mitsubishi — have huge stockpiles of frozen bluefin, providing at least a two-year cushion if supplies are ruptured. …