Washington

Destination — Washington D.C.

Assignment — an act of Congress, redress of grievances.

Working title — "United We Fish."

The stakes are high. Most informed and reasoning stakeholders agree that the statutory and regulatory system is on its way to securing the sustainability of the nation's great fisheries, but at the cost of endangering thousands of fishermen's jobs and the economic vitality and cultural stability of the villages, towns and few cities in the Ocean Nation — the narrow sliver of American shoreline that rings the United States.

From Gloucester, the spiritual co-capital of Ocean Nation, Mayor Carolyn Kirk embarked by train yesterday afternoon for tomorrow's grass-roots rally of U.S. fishermen, her message honed to a sentence:

Read the complete story at The Gloucester Daily Times.

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) and 14 of her House and Senate colleagues called for continued stringent management by international management organization

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe (R-Maine) today sent a letter with 14 of her House and Senate colleagues to Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and Thomas Strickland, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, asking them not to support a proposal by the principality of Monaco to list bluefin tuna under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Flora and Fauna (CITES).  In the letter, Snowe, the Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, cited the significantly strengthened management measures imposed by the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the body that sets international catch limits for bluefin and other species of Atlantic tuna, as well as the potential harm such a listing would cause to the U.S. tuna fleet.

“No one disputes that bluefin tuna is overfished, but a CITES listing would not change that status and would likely increase fishing pressure in areas of the world where bluefin populations are drastically depleted.  Effective fishery management stems from adherence to scientifically-based catch limits.  ICCAT showed a willingness to impose those limits at its most recent meeting last November, at which it committed to putting this fishery back on a path to long-term sustainability,” said Senator Snowe.  “For years, U.S. fishermen have led the world in efforts to conserve highly migratory fish stocks such as bluefin tuna.  It would be inappropriate and counter-productive to repay them for their stewardship by blocking access to the lucrative foreign markets, particularly when those markets will be filled with bluefin tuna harvested from weaker stocks.”

The other signatories to the letter are Senators Susan Collins (R, ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D, NH), Judd Gregg (R, NH), and Scott Brown (D, MA), and Representatives Walter Jones (R, NC), Barney Frank (D, MA), Michael Michaud (D, ME), Chellie Pingree (D, ME), William Delahunt (D, MA), Mike McIntyre (D, NC), John Tierney (D, MA), Joseph Lynch (D, MA), and Carol Shea-Porter (D, NH).

The full text of the letter follows:

Dr. Jane Lubchenco                                         Mr. Thomas L. Strickland
Administrator                                                    Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish,
National Oceanic and Atmospheric                  Wildlife, and Parks
Administration                                                  U.S. Department of the Interior
1401 Constitution Avenue, NW                       1849 C Street, NW
Washington, DC 20230                                    Washington, DC  20240

Dear Dr. Lubchenco and Assistant Secretary Strickland:

In November 2009, the U.S. delegation to the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), led efforts that resulted in unprecedented restrictions on the harvest of Atlantic bluefin tuna, particularly in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.   ICCAT’s actions at that meeting may have been inspired in part by Monaco’s proposal to list the species under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).  Prior to November, the U.S. took a wait-and-see position on co-sponsoring this proposal pending the outcome of the ICCAT meeting.  Given the great strides ICCAT made toward sustainable management of Atlantic bluefin tuna, and the likelihood of a CITES listing leading to unintended consequences that would unfairly disadvantage U.S. fishermen and actually hinder swift recovery of the species, we ask you to refrain from supporting any petition to list the species under CITES Appendix I.

           Prior to the ICCAT meeting, the Administration announced it would support but not co-sponsor Monaco’s proposal, though it would reconsider this decision if ICCAT “adopts significantly strengthened management and compliance measures.”[1]  In November, ICCAT agreed to slash the quota of eastern bluefin to 13,500 metric tons for 2010 (meaning actual catch will not exceed12,000 metric tons after accounting for penalties for quota overages in 2009), and to impose an 11-month closure for purse seine vessels.  Perhaps most importantly, this new agreement also commits to a quota for 2011 that will have at least a 60 percent probability of rebuilding Atlantic bluefin populations based on the new stock assessment that will be carried out in 2010.  These provisions certainly constitute “significantly strengthened management” given that previous agreements had resulted in a single year’s harvest exceeding 60,000 metric tons as recently as 2005.

           A CITES Appendix I listing would ban international trade in bluefin tuna by member states except those which choose to exercise an opt-out reservation. We believe this listing would ultimately prove ineffective while simultaneously causing disproportionate harm to the U.S. bluefin tuna fishery.  Japan is the world’s single largest importer of bluefin, and the Japanese government has a documented history of taking reservations to CITES listings of marine species, including at least seven species of whales listed under Appendix I and two species of sharks listed under Appendix II.  If Japan follows this trend and takes a reservation to a bluefin listing, it would be allowed to continue trading with other countries that also take a reservation.  While the U.S. would certainly not exercise this option, other countries—including those fishing heavily on the depleted Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic stock—likely would follow Japan’s lead, thereby retaining access to this lucrative market.  Such action would also provide fertile ground for a black market trade of bluefin that could be legally caught by other countries and laundered through those countries that take a reservation.  Thus, the most depleted portions of the fish stock would suffer increased fishing pressure to make up for the drop in supply from the U.S. and other nations that abide by the CITES listing.   Meanwhile the U.S. fishermen who have led the world in conservation of the species would be excluded from this market thereby bearing the brunt of a CITES listing’s economic impact.

           Environmental groups and a NOAA Fisheries study[2] speculate that a ban on international trade could actually provide an economic boost to U.S. fishermen.  We dispute this claim.  The NOAA study asserts that the U.S. is a net importer of bluefin, but then goes on to make the erroneous assumption that the domestic market would be able to absorb the entirety of the U.S. catch should an international trade ban be implemented.  Yet, NOAA’s study fails to acknowledge the seasonality of the U.S. catch.  The bulk of the U.S. bluefin harvest occurs in five months between May and October, while the demand stretches throughout the calendar year.  Because the U.S. lacks adequate freezer storage facilities to preserve bluefin in such a way that it retains its quality and value, our fishermen rely on the international market to absorb the supply generated in the summer and fall months.  Absent this market, the price will plummet, and our coastal communities will suffer.  In today’s economic climate, we cannot afford to effectively export fishing jobs to foreign nations, particularly those that lack the strong conservations standards that are a hallmark of U.S. fisheries management.

           There is no question that Atlantic bluefin tuna is overfished.  Last November, the international community, acting through ICCAT as the appropriate regional fishery management organization, took the necessary steps to put bluefin on an aggressive rebuilding trajectory by 2011.  We laud the successful efforts of the U.S. delegation to force the hand of ICCAT by insisting on the necessary drastic reductions in catch limits.  We ask that you honor those efforts to provide a sustainable future for this species by not supporting a CITES listing and giving ICCAT the opportunity to follow through on its commitment to do the right thing for the fish stock and for fishing communities.

Sincerely,

Senators Olympia Snowe (R, ME), Susan Collins (R, ME), Jeanne Shaheen (D, NH), Judd Gregg (R, NH), and Scott Brown (D, MA)

Representatives Walter Jones (R, NC), Barney Frank (D, MA), Michael Michaud (D, ME), Chellie Pingree (D, ME), William Delahunt (D, MA), Mike McIntyre (D, NC), John Tierney (D, MA), Joseph Lynch (D, MA), and Carol Shea-Porter (D, NH).

See a copy of the letter.