WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, met with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and reiterated her opposition to listing bluefin tuna as an endangered species under Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Flora and Fauna (CITES). Also in the meeting was Tom Strickland, Assistant Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks, who will lead the U.S. delegation to CITES. Since the announcement earlier this month, Senator Snowe has repeatedly expressed her strong opposition to a listing which would have an adverse affect on the U.S. tuna fleet.
“While there is no question that Atlantic bluefin tuna is overfished, the decision to list the species under Appendix I of CITES is reckless and would set a dangerous precedent for international fisheries management by attempting to control catch by regulating trade,” said Senator Snowe. “The proper management body for this fishery, and all international fisheries, is the regional fishery management organization tasked with setting and enforcing catch limits.”
“We have seen all too frequently of late situations in which fisheries management decisions based on insufficient science have led to draconian restrictions on our fishing fleets,” added Senator Snowe. “This listing would be yet another blow to our coastal communities, particularly in New England where fishermen are already reeling from dramatic cuts to the total allowable catch of herring and groundfish. I specifically asked Secretary Salazar and Assistant Secretary Strickland to negotiate with other parties at CITES to find an alternative to an Appendix I listing that would keep the pressure on ICCAT to set scientifically based catch limits, without banning all international trade.”
On March 3, 2010, the Department of Interior announced that it intends to support Monaco’s proposal to list bluefin under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), even though last November, the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) took strong strides towards responsible management, cutting the total allowable catch of the eastern stock to just 13,500 metric tons (more than a 40% reduction from 2009), and committing to impose catch limits that have at least a 60% probability of rebuilding the stock by 2023 following the new scientific assessment that will be presented at the 2010 meeting next fall. U.S. landings of bluefin have declined steadily from 2000-2008, due in large part to increasingly strict management provisions designed to protect this valuable species. In 2000, US fishermen caught over 1100 metric tons of bluefin worth more than $19.1 million. By 2008, those figures had declined to just over 300 metric tons valued at $4.7 million.
“U.S. fishermen have led the world in efforts to reduce harvest and rebuild depleted stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna, and we should give proper fisheries management the chance to do its job instead of imposing restrictions that quite simply will not achieve the desired outcome of rebuilding bluefin populations,” added Senator Snowe. “I fail to see the logic in supporting a policy that will penalize our fishermen for their contributions to the long-term sustainability of this critical species, and I stand ready to work with my colleagues in Congress to advance policies that reward Nations like the U.S. that manage domestic fisheries responsibly.”