Press Release: Commission: ICCAT’s welcome decisions confirm its commitment to bluefin tuna recovery plan

The European Commission has welcomed the outcome of the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) which closed today in Antalya, Turkey. Despite calls to reopen the debate on the fifteen-year recovery plan for eastern bluefin tuna which was adopted last year, Delegates decided to continue to implement the plan as agreed for another year. A full review will be undertaken when new scientific advice is available at the end of 2008, as originally planned. Full implementation of the control scheme agreed as part of the recovery plan remains crucial, and the adoption of a new catch document to ensure traceability throughout the market chain is one of the major achievements of this meeting. ICCAT also adopted a number of proposals tabled by the EU, including a reduction in the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) for northern albacore tuna to 30 200 tonnes for 2008 and 2009, a one-month closed season for Mediterranean swordfish, and measures to mitigate bird by-catch in longline fisheries in the southern Atlantic.