Press Release: Bluefin tuna campaign: Commission announces closure of purse seine fishery

The European Commission announced that it is closing the bluefin tuna fishery in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic for the purse seine fleets, as it deemed that the quotas allocated to them will shortly have been exhausted. Purse seiners from Greece, France, Italy, Cyprus and Malta will be prohibited from fishing as of 00h00 16 June, and purse seiners from Spain will be prohibited from fishing as of 00h00 23 June. The decision was based on the data and information in the possession of the Commission. Other segments of the fleet which still have quota available were free to continue fishing. The closure of the purse seine fishery was necessary to protect this fragile resource, and ensure the recovery of the stock in line with the 15-year recovery plan agreed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT). The Commission was determined to use all necessary means to prevent a recurrence of the substantial overfishing seen in 2007.