June 2, 2015 — As the European Union (EU)’s bluefin tuna fishing season in the Mediterranean kicks off at pace, Pew Charitable Trusts has warned the science behind this year’s 20% hike in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic quotas is uncertain.
It also noted concerns over Turkey going outside of scientific fishing advice, and the EU’s delays in implementing electronic catch tracking.
“Yes, science seems to indicate a population recovery, but that science is blurry,” Amanda Nickson, who directs tuna conservation efforts for Pew, told Undercurrent News.
“Concerns remain that this may not mean a complete recovery still. For ICCAT [International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas], the magnitude of fishing pressure that stocks are under is still very uncertain.”
Pew believes the 20% increase in bluefin quotas for 2015 – up to 9,372 metric tons – is taking a short-term approach to a species looking to recover from a history of overfishing.
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