NOAA's Office of Protected Resources begins a series of listening sessions next week as part of a process leading to a May decision on whether the giant bluefin tuna should be protected under the U.S. Endangered Species Act.
Such a finding would essentially shut down a recreational and commercial fishery with a base in Gloucester and New Bedford that experienced unprecedented concentrations of bluefin of all sizes on Georges Bank for the last two years, industry backers say.
Yet, many environmental groups and journalists insist the extinction of the bluefin is virtually assured.
The most recent stock assessment of the two stocks — eastern Atlantic/Mediterranean and western Atlantic — by the scientific committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Bluefin Tuna (ICCAT) made a guardedly positive finding, and recommended that more than 14 million tons could be caught in the next year without slowing the rebuilding regimens.
Read the complete story from The Gloucester Times.