Pew: Pacific bluefin tuna management proposals still fall short
Group calls for two-year moratorium on commercial fishing.
The Pacific bluefin tuna has been overfished for decades and has seen population declines of 97 percent, but a management proposal to be considered by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) would not improve the status quo and must be rejected by member governments, according to The Pew Charitable Trusts.
The WCPFC is meeting from Dec. 5 to 9 to discuss management measures for Pacific bluefin.
Despite science indicating the endangered state of the species, the WCPFC's Northern Committee recommended no further steps at its September meeting to address the state of Pacific bluefin.
It proposed weakening existing conservation measures by giving Japan and South Korea leeway to increase their fishing efforts on adult fish, which must have a chance to reproduce in order to rebuild the species.
"This proposal was made without analysis of its effects, and with Japan already catching the majority of Pacific bluefin, the additional catch of adults could lead to further depletion of the population," Pew said.
In response to managers' lack of action, Pew has called for a two-year moratorium on commercial fishing of Pacific bluefin tuna -- which, if approved, would immediately end overfishing and give the species a chance to recover.
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