November 18, 2013 — Members of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas will this week consider measures ranging from a better tracking method for bluefin tuna caught in Atlantic waters to the first ever catch quota for the world’s fastest shark.
The commission, which has 46 member countries as well as the European Union, began meeting today in Cape Town to discuss catch quotas and other conservation measures for tuna and tuna-like species of fish in the Atlantic.
It’s being urged by the environmental unit of Pew Charitable Trusts, a non-profit organization that advises governments on sustainable fishing, to maintain catch quotas for bluefin tuna at their 2013 levels. This will allow for the recovery of overfished tuna populations in the region, Washington-based Pew also wants the group by March to implement an electronic catch recording documentation system to replace a paper system susceptible to fraud. The first-ever shark catch quotas are also being proposed.
“ICCAT members must reaffirm their commitment to following the scientific advice,” Jamie Gibbon, a tuna expert at Pew, said in an e-mailed response to questions on Nov. 15. “Maintaining the catch limits for Atlantic bluefin tuna at the current levels will allow the population to recover and grow, which will benefit both the bluefin and the fishermen that rely on them.”