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| Conservationists call for U.S. action to save bluefin tuna |
International impasse leaves bluefin on the brink
HOUSTON, TX - Citing the failure of the international community to rein in harvest of bluefin tuna, Coastal Conservation Association is urging the United States to proceed with an effort to list the Atlantic bluefin on Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and prohibit the international trade in bluefin.
"It is clear from the last meetings of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the failure of the European Union to agree on a ban that we are left with only one option to save bluefin tuna," said Chester Brewer, chairman of CCA's National Government Relations Committee. "It is time for the United States to demonstrate some leadership and insist that all international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna be halted, while hope for a recovery still remains."
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| 28 Sep 2009 - 13:01 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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| CCA's Stance on Fishery Management Plans |
Position Statement(s)
In response to the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC):
- Interstate Fishery Management Plan for Weakfish
- Striped Bass Fishery Management Plan
Weakfish are severely depleted based on multiple peer-reviewed documents. The number of juvenile weakfish currently indicates an abundance, similar to previous years, however there is an inability for these juveniles to grow into an adult population. Thus, overfishing does not appear to be the primary factor whereas natural mortality appears to be the reason for the decline. What factor(s) is causing this natural mortality is not presently known.
If and when the natural mortality decreases and weakfish are poised to make a comeback, CCA NC believes we need to have in place fishing regulations that will allow necessary recovery. This means that we should eliminate a directed fishery for weakfish. This would mean a moratorium with no or only a minimal bycatch allowance. For recreational fishermen, we would recommend a no possession. For commercial fishermen if a bycatch allowance is made, we would recommend a very minimal one, perhaps a 50 lb daily bycatch. Any larger bycatch allowance will result in directed fishing.
CCA NC reiterates that we believe overfishing alone is not the factor for the decline, but that a continued directed fishery may impede recovery. We encourage the ASMFC and affected states to continue to study the reasons for the large natural mortality.
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Striped Bass. The primary issue is a proposed allowance for a rollover of uncaught commercial harvest from one year to the next.
CCA NC is opposed to any rollover of uncaught commercial harvest. We have stated previously and still believe the current exploitation of striped bass is too high to allow for the age structure of the population to fill out adequately.
The ASMFC decided long ago that this fishery was a critical recreational fishery for Atlantic recreational fishermen. The managers then consciously adopted a management strategy that held the commercial harvest to their 1970s average levels and allowed the recreational fishery to increase with the abundance of the striped bass resource. This fishery is to be managed as primarily a recreational fishery.
Recent declines in striped bass abundance make any additional harvest of adult striped bass more of a problem. It is abundantly clear that striped bass harvest from the southern and northern extremes of the range is declining; a strong signal the population is shrinking. Estimates of striped bass abundance from the stock assessment bear this observation out as the population has declined sharply from 2006 to 2008.
The cause of the decline is as yet unknown -- excessive harvest, disease or other factors. But the reason for the decline is immaterial; that a decline exists should cause managers to adopt even more conservative measures.
Again, CCA NC is strongly opposed to the measures contained in Addendum II and believes the ASMFC should instead be looking to halt the decline in striped bass abundance and implementing measures to reduce exploitation of this important species.
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| 23 Sep 2009 - 14:20 by CCA North Carolina |
XNews
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