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Republished from Undercurrent News, 9 May 2018
Mexico and Japan have already breached their bluefin fishing limit for the second year in a row, despite strict quotas, said Pew Charitable Trusts.
Pacific bluefin is worth nearly $1 billion at the final point of sale, but it has been severely depleted over the years, and now just sits at 2.6% of its historic level, the charity said.
In September 2017, countries agreed to a rebuilding plan for the species. However, “there is little room for error, and the quota overages will continue to hurt recovery”, Pew said.
A new stock assessment for Pacific bluefin will be released this summer, and it will give fishery managers a time to consider if the recovery plan is working, and how much work must still be done to rebuild the species.
Credit: Europeche
But if countries continue to stretch the limits, there is little chance for success, and the species will remain in serious jeopardy, Pew said.
“Pacific bluefin tuna can’t catch a break. Mexico, one of the leading fishing nations for this severely depleted species, officially exceeded its 2018 quota just four months into the year on May 3,” said Jamie Gibbon, an officer on Pew’s global tuna conservation campaign.
“If nations are unable to enforce the rebuilding plan and show that they are honestly tackling overfishing, the idea of an ocean-wide commercial fishing moratorium may have to be revisited as the last ditch option to save the species,” Gibbon said.