As the Atlantic bluefin tuna purse seine fishing fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea begin to close, a new analysis of media reports shows illegal fishing continues to jeopardize the population’s recovery.
According to an inquiry conducted in cooperation with MedReAct.org, The Pew Charitable Trusts has identified at least 79 media reports (73 in Italy, 5 in Spain, 1 in Tunisia) of illegal bluefin seizures in the Mediterranean in the last 12 months.
According to these published reports, authorities seized at least 186 metric tons (MT) of tuna — enough bluefin to fill 6 standard 40’ shipping containers. That fishing is in excess of the science-based quota in place, which for the EU amounts to 7,939 MT annually.
“Without doubt illegal fishing remains a significant threat to Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and this population has a long way to go before it fully recovers from decades of unsustainable management,” said Amanda Nickson, director of global tuna conservation for The Pew Charitable Trusts. “As the fishing season ends, we're reminded that every fish caught illegally undermines the recovery of this population and the actions of legal fishers operating by the rules within the set quota”
According to the most recent stock assessment, the eastern bluefin population is still only part of the way to its rebuilding target set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), with the speed and magnitude of this recovery highly uncertain.
In Rossano, Italy, the Coast Guard seized more than 1,700 kilos of bluefin tuna from a factory because the owner could not produce catch documents that could trace the 67 fish.
The Port Authority in Pescara intercepted 2 vans with 1 MT of bluefin tuna (30 fish) headed for market in Rome, while traffic police in Salerno stopped a truck with 2.5 MT of bluefin tuna with no catch documentation.
One case involved 38 MT of bluefin tuna suspected of being illegally traded within Italy and France over more than a year’s time, worth more than EUR 300,000 (USD 408,666).
“We’re pleased to see that authorities are making an effort to crack down on the illegal bluefin trade. Still, these are just the cases we know about. By its very definition, illegal and unreported trade flies under the radar, which makes advances in reporting and technology even more integral to developing a transparent and sustainable trade,” Nickson said.
