Several industry stakeholders contend the southern bluefin tuna stock is in good health. (Photo: Stock File)

Tuna stocks brimming: fishers

AUSTRALIA
Wednesday, January 27, 2010, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Fourteen vessels are currently engaged in purse seine fishing of southern bluefin tuna off Port Lincoln in South Australia. Stocks are robust despite scientists’ concerns and this year’s catch will be finished six weeks sooner than expected, the tuna industry said.

Chief Executive of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association of South Australia Brian Jeffriess said this year’s catches are the best they’ve seen in 26 years. Many tuna vessels are arriving back at Port Lincoln full of fish after only two weeks at sea.

“I think the main lesson here is that I don't think in the past anyone knew what the stock was really doing," he said. "I think the stock was spread from South Africa to New Zealand; the declared catch rates by the Japanese were completely corrupted.”

"I think given all those circumstances, and no-one's to blame, there's been a complete misunderstanding of the state of the fishery -- it's in a very strong condition," he stated, ABC reports.

Several vessels have observed good numbers of tuna in the 15-20kg range, according to the Australian Fisheries Management Authority (AFMA).

Jeffriess, also president of the Tuna Boat Owners Association, believes tuna stocks may be in such great shape because of the Japanese quota cut.

"Japan, when its quota was 6,000 tonnes, was actually catching 20,000 tonnes a year," he noted.

"Now that it's 3,000 tonnes, they'll probably scale back to 4,000 tonnes. That's still over-catching, but certainly scaled back, and you would expect an incredible increase in the number of fish in the water because of that cutback," Jeffriess commented.

Due to unstable weather conditions, only about 250 tonnes have been fished thus far. It is expected that most of the total allowable catch (TAC) will be landed in the next four to six weeks, Port Lincoln Times reports.

National tuna season began on 1 December with a TAC of 4,015 tonnes, lowered from 5,265 tonnes in October by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) in hopes of allowing stocks to replenish.

Related article:

- Tuna decision pummels Port Lincoln industry

By Natalia Real
[email protected]
www.seafood.media

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