France, Spain halt industrial tuna catch
Source: Agencies |
May 31, 2012, Thursday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FRANCE and Spain banned industrial fishing of endangered bluefin tuna late on Tuesday for the rest of this season after fishermen from both countries exhausted their quotas more quickly than anticipated.
Western scientists say stocks of the Atlantic bluefin, which can sell for up to US$100,000 each at market, have fallen by about 80 percent since the 1970s.
Most tuna caught by EU vessels are sent to Japan, where they are highly prized by sushi and sashimi lovers.
Vessels using sonar or echo-sounders have become so good at locating and netting the fish in huge "purse seine" nets that a season's quota can be filled in just 10 days. This year's season runs from May 16 to June 14.
"The purse seine quota allocated to both countries was exhausted yesterday ... and both member states have decided to call back their vessels to port," the European Union's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement.
The nine French and six Spanish purse seine vessels sailed in joint operations, which meant their quotas were filled more quickly, the Commission said.
Small-scale fishing for bluefin tuna using traps, hooks and spears can continue for the moment.
The warm-blooded Atlantic bluefin are found throughout the North Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean Sea, where they go each year to spawn.
They are known for their size and speed, reaching weights of more than 600 kilograms and speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
Western scientists say stocks of the Atlantic bluefin, which can sell for up to US$100,000 each at market, have fallen by about 80 percent since the 1970s.
Most tuna caught by EU vessels are sent to Japan, where they are highly prized by sushi and sashimi lovers.
Vessels using sonar or echo-sounders have become so good at locating and netting the fish in huge "purse seine" nets that a season's quota can be filled in just 10 days. This year's season runs from May 16 to June 14.
"The purse seine quota allocated to both countries was exhausted yesterday ... and both member states have decided to call back their vessels to port," the European Union's executive, the European Commission, said in a statement.
The nine French and six Spanish purse seine vessels sailed in joint operations, which meant their quotas were filled more quickly, the Commission said.
Small-scale fishing for bluefin tuna using traps, hooks and spears can continue for the moment.
The warm-blooded Atlantic bluefin are found throughout the North Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico to the Mediterranean Sea, where they go each year to spawn.
They are known for their size and speed, reaching weights of more than 600 kilograms and speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour.
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