Press Release: Fisheries: Tuna governance advances, but capacity is still ‘the’ issue

The European Commission welcomed the strong endorsement given by the international community to the 'Kobe process' to improve and streamline international management of high-seas tuna fisheries at a meeting in San Sebastian, Spain, on 3 July, 2009. Positive results included steps to accelerate the alignment of the regulation of these fisheries throughout the world on those standards which constitute current best practice. However, the Commission regreted the fact that the representatives of contracting parties to the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) concerned proved unable to reach consensus on immediate action to freeze the capacity of the global tuna fleet.