E - Iccat

PANEL APPENDICES
Could it be considered that this significant difference be sufficient to cover the existing uncertainties for this
stock
Distinguished delegates, we are convinced that the coherence in the way of acting of this Commission will
resolve many of the contradictions included herein, as well as many of the uncertainties presented by the
delegates yesterday for an improved management of the resource. However, it is certain that the principle of
equity will be welcomed positively by the thousands of responsible fishermen that fish East bluefin tuna and
who have made great sacrifices. As a result of stock recovery, fishermen are confident that some jobs could be
recovered and that they would stop feeling discriminated.
The biological, social and economic sustainability must be the lighthouse to illuminate them in this sea full of
uncertainties.
Reference
Belda, E.J. and Cort, J.L., 2011, Simulation of Biomass trends of eastern bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) stock
under current Management Regulations. Collect. Vol. Sci. Pap. ICCAT, 66(2): 989-994.
Statement by the Observer from the Pew Environment Group to Panel 2
Appendix 6 to ANNEX 9
We call your attention to our policy statement, “Better Management for all ICCAT Species: Time to Fill In the
Puzzle Pieces”, which was circulated electronically to all Contracting Parties (CPs), and is available on our
website at www.pewenvironment.org/ip (in English, French, and Spanish) along with copies of our other
materials. The following supplements that policy statement as relates to Atlantic bluefin tuna.
ICCAT made a strong commitment to conservation when they set Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) quotas for 2010-
2012 based on the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Research and Statistics (SCRS). This year is
the first real test of ICCAT’s commitment to continue to follow the scientific advice. This decision will not only
influence the health of bluefin tuna populations but also has significant consequences for the reputation of
ICCAT as a global leader in fisheries science and management.
This commitment to following the scientific advice has begun to pay off; the latest stock assessment for bluefin
shows signs of increasing populations in both the eastern and western Atlantic. However, the stock assessment
report cautioned that uncertainties in the data and model meant that the SCRS could not accurately assess the
magnitude and speed of recovery. In the executive summary of the stock assessment report, the SCRS referenced
this “uncertainty” 18 times. In the summary of its eastern stock assessment, it mentioned “uncertainty” almost as
often as the word “bluefin”. The 2012 assessment also did not include key pieces of information including new
estimates of the ongoing high level of illegal fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean and new science
confirming mixing between the eastern and western populations.
SCRS Recommendation
As a result of the uncertainty in the assessment, the SCRS recommended that the western Atlantic quota be
maintained at 1,750 t and the eastern quota maintained at 12,900 t or not increased to above 13,500 t (the 2010
quota). They also recognized the need to update the stock assessment model to use more modern assessment
methods and to better reflect current knowledge of bluefin behavior and biology.
BFT quotas
To avoid significantly undermining any recent progress, we urges the members of Panel 2 to again follow the
scientific advice when setting catch limits for the next three years, which will enable the stocks to continue to
increase while allowing time to incorporate the best available scientific data into future assessments. These
science-based limits, along with measures to reduce illegal fishing-including swift implementation of an
electronic Bluefin Catch Document system by all CPCs and holding illegal fishing vessels and governments that
flag them accountable –are vital to turn this glimmer of hope into a real recovery of Atlantic bluefin tuna.
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