SEAFOODNEWS.COM [SCOM] — December 5, 2014 — Pacific Rim nations have formally adopted a regulation to cut by half the catch of young bluefin tuna in the western and central Pacific to protect dwindling stocks.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission adopted the cut on Friday, the end of a 5-day meeting in the Samoan capital Apia. Officials from about 30 countries and territories attended.
A Japanese delegation official said members formally agreed on the reduction for bluefins weighing less than 30 kilograms from next year. The 50-percent cut is based on the average annual catch from 2002 to 2004.
Japan's chief delegate Hisashi Endo from the Fisheries Agency said he's glad the regulation was adopted.
Endo said some participants argued the regulation would not be enough. But he said it will be a good start to achieve the goal of nearly doubling the adult bluefin population to more than 40,000 tons in 10 years.
Last month, the International Union for Conservation of Nature listed Pacific bluefin tuna as a species with a high risk of extinction.
Unlike the situation with Bigeye tuna, where the WCPFC refused to act, the situation with Bluefin involves directly a smaller number of countries, in particular the US, Japan, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand – all of whom have previously expressed support for conservation measures. Since the measures did not affect their own national fisheries, the other countries did not object.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.