SCRS/2009/189 - iccat

1. Foreword
por el contrario, una cierre de la pesquería), y las ONG intentan conseguir una
protección plena de la especie, para evitar un hipotético colapso. En este documento el
autor debate los principales problemas, con el objetivo de contribuir a acercar a la
realidad el análisis del estado de esta especie icónica.
KEYWORDS
Bluefin tuna, conservation, CITES, ICCAT, population structure,
catch composition, data collection, pelagic fisheries, large pelagic species, overfishing
This paper is not a traditional scientific paper. It is mostly a sort of independent short revision of a huge and even
largely incomplete amount of scientific papers, ICCAT reports and various types of documents about the
situation of the most important species managed by ICCAT, the bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Linnaeus) which
rapidly became an icon for many environmental organisations and the media and big business for some
commercial entities.
This paper is mainly a desperate attempt to bring the discussion on the bluefin tuna along a rail of reality, taking
into account the many problems about the controversial status of this species, the data issues and the general
knowledge, as well as the impact of various assessments and papers on the actual situation.
2. Introduction
According to archaeological findings, bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Linnaeus, 1758) was first exploited in the
Mediterranean Sea more than 11200 years ago. The first document known on the bluefin tuna fishery is engraved
on the walls of the Genovese’s Cave on the isle of Levanzo (Egadi Islands, W. Sicily, Italy), dated about 9,200
years B.C. It is clear that since these remote times, bluefin tuna was regularly a common food resource for the
Mediterranean inhabitants and a basic component in their diet (Curtis, 1991; Dumont, 1981; Powell, 1996). Later
images, like the “Siciliota” pottery from the IV century B.C. kept at the Mandralisca Museum in Cefalù (Sicily,
Italy), show a common trade of bluefin tuna that was marketed fresh at that time.
Evidences of tuna factories were found in many places along the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea (Purpura, 1989,
1992; Trousset, 1990) and even inland, like in the Roman ruins in Madrid. The history of the long exploitation of
the bluefin tuna is strictly linked to the Mediterranean culture and several tracks can be easily found in many
classical works from the II century B.C. to the II century A.D. (see the reprinted works by Plinius, 1553; Esopo,
1592; Aristotelis in Athaeneus, 1653; Athaeneus, 1653; Parthenii, 1689; Oppianus, 1738), but including also
Strabonium, Eschilus, Homerus, Solinus and Eustazius. Relatively more recent transcriptions about ancient and
historical information can be found also in Mattioli (1568), Gesner (1606), Aldrovandi (1638) and Jonstonius
(1649), while Curtis (1988), Merino (1991), Ponsich & Tarradell (1965) and Sancho de Sopranis (1948) provide
a detailed description of some ancient practices.
A careful reading of these classical works reveals not only the long fishing activities, but also many interesting
aspects of bluefin tuna biology and ethology, which are often forgotten and sometimes rediscovered ex-novo by
several young colleagues. The most interesting information is related to the periodic migrations between the
Black Sea and the eastern Mediterranean Sea (Plinius, 1553; Aristotelis in Athaeneus, 1653), confirming the
existence of a possible subpopulation in the Black Sea until recent times and the environmental collapse that
occurred in this Sea, discussed in a following part of this document.
The biology of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus, Linnaeus, 1758) and particularly of the Atlantic populations is
that of a marine top predator having a long natural history. Many aspects of its biology and stock composition
are well known (Abascal et al., 2003; Arena, 1990b, Arena et al., 1980; Aricò & Genovese, 1953; Bard & Le
Gall, 1979; Bard et al., 1978; Block et al., 1978; Carey, 1973; Collette et al., 2001; Corriero et al., 2003, 2005;
Cort, 1990, 2010 in press; Cort et al., 1995, 2009; De Buen, 1925); De la Serna et al., 1998; De Metrio et al.,
1988, 1997, 2003a, 2003b; Dicenta & Piccinetti, 1977, 1980; Dicenta et al., 1975; Di Natale, 1988b, 1989,
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