FISHING PUTS SOUTHERN BLUEFIN TUNA ON THE BRINK!

BLUEFIN TUNA STOCKS CLOSE TO COLLAPSE!

BLUEFIN TUNA CATCH “SHOULD BE HALVED”!

The sensational headlines above refer to another marathon confrontation between the fishing industry and the usual consortia of government, managers, scientists and the green movement. This time the subject is the southern bluefin tuna.

The case mounted by each side is true to form and a resolution satisfactory to all parties appears remote.

Essentially the argument is thus; based on in-house and secret scientific evidence the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) determined that the stocks of southern bluefin tuna (SBT) were in serious trouble and quotas allocated to participating countries would have to be reduced to ensure continued existence of the fish.

The Commission used statistical models to estimate SBT population size. It claimed that the low levels of spawning stock, low levels of annual recruitment of young fish, and evidence of several historically low year classes since the end of the 1990s indicated that the spawning biomass of SBT was likely to be less than ten percent of the unfished level.

The Commission announced on October 23, 2009, that it would cut the total allowable catch (TAC) by 20 percent. As the largest catcher, Australia is faced with a quota reduction of 30 percent.

Predictably, the decision has satisfied no one.

Tuna fishing is a major industry in Australia, particularly in the SBT centre, Port Lincoln, South Australia. Already reeling from a decision to allow iron ore exports through Port Lincoln, green campaigns against tuna fishing, marine park implementation and a very difficult market period, the quota cut will cause severe hardship.

 

The Australian Tuna Association (ATA), which represents the Port Lincoln community, disputes the scientific claims. Brian Jeffries ATA CEO believes the stock recovery is underway and they are questioning the cuts and will seek redress.

Having been penalised by previous reductions in quota, tuna fishers are now reporting increasing and large numbers of SBT in southern waters. They are also angry that the benefits that should have flowed from large cuts to the quota in 1990, and then by 50 per cent in 2006, were cancelled out by years of illegal overfishing by Japan.

Several years ago, the Japanese Government admitted it had illegally taken more than 120,000 tonnes of tuna above its TAC. The figure is believed to be closer to 200,000 tonnes.

Mr Jefferies says there should be a debate about whether Japan needs to pay back the thousands of tonnes of tuna it was illegally catching and selling.

“They should pay back 200,000 tonnes, when they only have a quota of 6,000 tonnes – this is a political issue for the two countries. Without the Japanese over-catch from the last 20 years the stock would be in a very strong position and then we wouldn’t be even having this debate. Frankly, we’re not prepared to pay the price for someone else’s systematic fraud.”

The green movement also expressed dissatisfaction with the twenty percent reduction believing it to be insufficient. That is the view of TRAFFIC, a programme of the conservation organisation, WWF.

“Overfishing will wipe out the breeding population of Atlantic bluefin tuna in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced,” the group claimed and then used the situation with the northern species as an added reason to curtail fishing in the south.

Much of the green comment was alarmist and without scientific backing.

A TRAFFIC spokesman said: “The southern bluefin tuna is at an all-time low, below ten percent of its original population size, and what that means is at any time it could collapse... The prized southern bluefin tuna industry, worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Australia, could be heading for a major collapse unless a moratorium on fishing the species is adopted.”

So, the managers and the public have a choice in what to believe in the SBT confrontation, the alarmist, often unsubstantiated cries from the greenies, the statistical, computer-derived statements from the scientists or the unsophisticated but experienced claims from the fishermen – the only ones out on the water.

South coast tuna fishermen applied their own “scientific analysis” and put out a challenge: “If you ever believed someone could walk on water from Sydney to Bermagui, they could do it at the moment on the backs of southern blue fin.”

Perhaps the final solution for the SBT will come with the fishing industry after all. Port Lincoln tuna fisherman Hagen Stehr’s company, Clean Seas Tuna, has recently, in a world first, closed the loop and produced SBT in tanks ashore.

The Clean Seas boss said: “It is highly realistic that in the medium term, Clean Seas will achieve production levels, effectively duplicating Australia’s southern bluefin tuna wild catch quota every year.”

In the meantime, a vital primary industry struggles to make ends meet.

Disclosure: Members of the Baird family or companies in the Baird Publications group own shares in Clean Seas Tuna. 

Comments

Geoffc3

0

 

 

Southern bluefin tuna
The ten percent of original breeding stock is probably somewhere near the mark, considering that prior to around 1950, southern bluefin tuna were virtually unsellable in Australia and just beginning to be exploited by Japan.

However ten percent of the original breeding stock may not necessarily equal ten percent recruitment. In reality considering the many predators around until the numbers to predate on reach the recruitment stage. It may only mean a small reduction in recruitment.
Observations of those observers in the industry would indicate this to be so.

Monday 21 December 2009, 16:43

Post Reply

Name *
Email (For verification & Replies)
Code   

Submit Comment

Cancel

Name *
Email (For verification & Replies)
Code   

Submit Comment