ICCAT Ignores In-House Scientists' Advice To End All Bluefin Fishing - 13,500 Tons New Limit

[hatrack]

The International Commissions for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) ignored the advice of its scientists to end fishing of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. Instead ICAAT set a quota of 13,500 tons of fish. This is not the first time ICCAT has flouted its own researchers' advice: it has repeatedly set quotas well-above its researchers' recommendations.

Estimating that the Atlantic bluefin tuna's biomass is less than 15 percent of its original stock before industrial fishing, ICCAT scientists recommended in late October that the organization ban all fishing of the species, which is classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN.

"Since its inception, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas has been driven by short-term commercial fishing interests, not the conservation ethic implied by its name," said Susan Lieberman, Director of International Policy for the Pew Environment Group. "Only a zero catch limit could have maximized the chances that Atlantic bluefin tuna could recover to the point where the fishery could exist in the future."

It's not just the quota for legal fishing that is threatening the bluefin tuna. Quotas are often exceeded and illegal fishing for bluefin tuna takes another huge chunk out of the species' population every year. In the past actual catch rates have been estimated to be double the quotas set. "When you adjust the new catch limit to account for over-fishing and rampant illegal fishing by some countries and add in ICCAT’s poor enforcement and compliance record, the prospects for the recovery of the once-abundant Atlantic bluefin tuna are dismal," added Lieberman.

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2009/1115-hance_iccat.html

[jaksavage]

1. One more straw. nt

[Raster]

2. So we are on the verge of driving Atlantic bluefin tuna into extinction. Why?

Atlantic bluefin tuna is primarily sold in Japan for premium sushi. It is a lucrative business: estimated at 7.2 billion US dollars a year. A single fish can sometimes sell for over 100,000 US dollars at the Tokyo Market.

[GliderGuider]

3. The Atlantic Rim nations have a long, proud cultural heritage

We don't see bluefin tuna like you bleeding heart environmentalists do. We view any attempt to dictate our tuna-fishing practices as cultural imperialism. If you insist on doing so, we will entrench ourselves in a policy of "Research tuna fishing" and nothing will be gained.

All we want is a little respect...

[phantom power]

4. Our great-grandchildren will have a proud cultural heritage based on jellyfish.

[Nihil]

8. I'm waiting to find out ...

... just who will be the first to rediscover their "long, proud cultural heritage"
in human cannabilism ... it has happened on all occupied continents at one time or
another so it will just take a little "push" on the food supply for the "natural"
response to rise up again ... and suddenly "A Modest Proposal" becomes a documentary
rather than a satire ...

:yoiks:

[GliderGuider]

9. My neigbour suddenly left to visit his sick aunt in, um, Botswana.

Honest.

[happyslug]

10. Actually, reports of Cannibalism are over stated.

Now, ritual cannibalism has occurred in all cultures (Eating someone heart to get his strength for example) but true cannibalism, eating people for food, has never been found to have occurred except during times of extreme emergency (and these are NOT caused by Famine or something like that but man-made actions such as cannibalism reported during sieges of cities by enemy forces, the last time that occurred was during WWII and the siege of Leningrad, OR people cut off from other sources of food by their own actions, the Donnor Party of the Oregon Trail fame for example). As one writer says, during most famines the concern is NOT people eating people for the simple fact during famines everyone is starving at the same rate and it is easier to spend one's energy looking for what ever other food exists NOT to kill your fellow man. It is only when such searches for food is not possible that you see cannibalism occurring, such as sieges, or people cut off from supplies by winter or other disaster.

One person in the mid 20th century actually tried to find first had reports of cannibalism and all he found was report that some distant tribe over some distant mountain were cannibals. When he arrived at that tribe, he found similar reports often is the same direction i.e. away from the main trade routes. Cannibalism has occurred but never for any length of time (Rarely over a month as most sieges end about the same time as cannibalism starts to kick in) and then only in very limited numbers (The reports from Leningrad only number in the hundred, in a multiple million population, and were always mothers looking for food for their children and then always someone who was already dead).

Here is Wikipedia, which repeats a lot of the tales that "Evil" people resorted to Cannibalism (i.e. Soviet reports of German Soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad, US and Australian Reports of Japanese doing the same, through some of this may be ritual cannibalism, the Japanese Army of WWII was into far right lunacy that makes today Right wing look absolutely sane, reports of use of Cannibalism as an intimidation tool by the Soviet Secret Police under Stalin etc). Read these reports carefully, most are questionable and keep in mind no one is reporting to having eaten anyone OR seeing anyone being eaten EXCEPT in cases of Ritual Cannibalism or an insane person.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannibalism

Leningrad and reports of Cannibalism:
http://books.google.com/books?id=jt8QVm8dPaQC&pg=PA239&lpg=PA239&dq=siege+of+leningrad+cannibalism&source=bl&ots=oYTOUBv9H1&sig=9_Z2meD7Y2AqTdzsJZufFbTBv_4&hl=en&ei=Rx8DS8jqK5LAlAf3x8XgAQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CCAQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=siege%20of%20leningrad%20cannibalism&f=false

[Nihil]

11. Shame. What a waste of protein.

:hide:

[excess_3]

5. what countries are the bad actors here? /nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

6. Money talks. Extinction is silent. n/t

[Nihil]

7. So long and thanks for all the ... oh, wait ...

> "Since its inception, the International Commission for the Conservation
> of Atlantic Tunas has been driven by short-term commercial fishing interests,
> not the conservation ethic implied by its name"

:grr: