October 29, 2014 — The following was released by the American Bluefin Tuna Association:
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will convene its annual meeting in Genoa, Italy on November 10, 2014. The most important item on the meeting's agenda will be the establishment of Atlantic bluefin quota. This meeting is expected to be quite different from other meetings in the past several years because the best available science now indicates a stunning increase in abundance of this iconic fish on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Standing Committee for Research and Statistics (SCRS), the scientific arm of ICCAT, performed separate stock assessments on west and east Atlantic-Mediterranean bluefin stocks at their science meetings, held September 22 to October 3. The findings, detailed in the SCRS report, state conclusively and unambiguously that both west and east bluefin stocks have shown a dramatic increase in their general populations and, in particular, in their spawning stock biomass.
The west Atlantic stock is fished primarily by the US, Canada and Japan. This year's stock assessment indicates that spawning stock biomass has seen a very strong and significant increase from prior stock assessments. The SCRS also reported that west Atlantic bluefin biomass has increased significantly each year since 2009 and stated that present data on the west Atlantic stock validates that it is not "overfished" and "overfishing" is not occurring.
All this good news on west Atlantic bluefin stock was achieved by restrictive low quotas since 1982 and by better science leading to a more precise understanding of bluefin population dynamics and biology. Consequently, the SCRS report stated that an increase in quota, up to 2,250 mt from its presently level of 1,750 mt, is consistent with ongoing ICCAT management objectives. The report states that spawning stock biomass is presently 2 ¼ times greater than necessary to sustain a quota of 3,050 mt each year, going forward. According to the stock assessment, 3,050 mt is the new estimated maximum sustainable yield for the west Atlantic bluefin stock and it is up from the prior level of 2,582 mt in the 2010 stock assessment.
The east Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin stock has incurred an extraordinary increase in biomass according to the recent stock assessment. The SCRS noted in its report that this increase "corresponds to a four-fold increase in spawning stock biomass over the past decade." Consequently, the SCRS has advised that an increase in quota from its present level of 13,500 mt to a level as high as 30,000 mt can be achieved sustainably while meeting the Commission's long term goals for the east stock.
Ralph Pratt, president of the American Bluefin Tuna Association, states, "US bluefin fishermen are thrilled and relieved to hear from our scientists of the healthy abundance of west Atlantic bluefin biomass. The spectacular recovery of the east stock from what has been sometimes called 'the edge of fishery collapse' is also excellent news for US bluefin fishermen. Bluefin are trans-Atlantic migrants, so any increase in eastern biomass will bring more eastern bluefin into our fishery."
A Surprising Development in the SCRS Report
Bluefin science is improving at a dramatic rate as a result of global interest in the health of the Atlantic stocks. Numerous scientific papers are authored each year on Atlantic bluefin and it is the responsibility of the SCRS to review all recent contributions to the science prior to conducting a new stock assessment. The spectacular results of the current stock assessment are attributable to improved methodology as well as a better understanding of bluefin population dynamics and biology.
The most controversial aspect of west Atlantic bluefin biology for several years has been the issue of "recruitment". "Recruitment", in marine biology, refers to the number of young fish to be added each year to overall bluefin biomass. At the SCRS meeting, evidence emerged identifying that the effects of changes in the marine environment are more important than the size of spawning stock size in influencing the level of recruitment in any given time period.
This new evidence does not support prior objectives suggested by the National Marine Fisheries Service and environmental groups in using high recruitment targets that were estimated for the early 1970's. According to Rich Ruais, Executive Director of the American Bluefin Tuna Association, "The very good news for western bluefin fishermen is that the SCRS states that with their more reasonable expectations for recruitment, the spawning population is already 2 ¼ times greater than necessary to maintain a maximum sustainable yield of 3,050 mt."
For both the east and west bluefin stocks, the SCRS has further suggested that an appropriate approach to upcoming quota increases would be to implement them incrementally, beginning with the 2015 season. For the west stock, the SCRS has specifically recommended that quota for the upcoming two years be set at a level not higher than 2,250 mt, up from the current level of 1,750 mt.
According to Ralph Pratt, "US bluefin fishermen have earned a quota increase for giving up quota over the last 25 years for the sake of chasing unreasonably high targets." He praised the patience and conservation ethic of all US bluefin fishermen in raising awareness of how the east and west stocks are linked together for sustainable fisheries.