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The European Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, at fisheries conference. (Photo: EC)
European nations agree on ambiguous position for bluefin tuna
 EUROPEAN UNION
Thursday, November 18, 2010, 23:40 (GMT + 9)
Ambassadors from the 27 EU countries have agreed not to rule either in favor or against reducing the total allowable catch (TAC) of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) in 2011 or maintaining current catches.
They also agreed on the need to respect "rigorous scientific reports by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)."
They unanimously approved the position to defend the European Commission (EC) in the assembly of the Commission, held from 17 to 27 November in Paris, France, to discuss fishing for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.
In 2006, ICCAT adopted a plan to catch bluefin tuna and set targets for recovery of the "biological maximum sustainable yield" by 2022.
According to an EU source in Brussels, they will negotiate a TAC between current levels and a cut which is "not biased."
The European Fisheries Commissioner, Maria Damanaki, lamented that EU countries have not supported a reduction of fishing quotas.
"However, the EC will respect its obligations as a negotiator on behalf of the European Union (EU)," added Damanaki.
She also clarified that beyond the ICCAT meeting, Brussels "will closely follow the situation of this sensitive resource and focus its efforts on control and compliance with the rules," reports the EFE news agency.
For 2010, the global tuna TAC was set at 13,500 tonnes, of which 7,104 tonnes belonged to the European fleet.
Related article:
- Brussels doesn't get consensus on bluefin tuna quotas
By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
Photo Courtesy of FIS Member  European Commission - Fisheries and Maritime Affairs
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