2010 Atlantic tuna quota slashed 40%

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) decided Sunday to reduce the total annual catch of Atlantic bluefin tuna in 2010 by 40 percent from the previous year, the largest decrease ever.

The ICCAT was originally planning to limit the tuna harvest in 2010 to 19,950 tons, but now the figure will drop to 13,500 tons.

The ICCAT also agreed on an action plan to allow for an annual catch of 50,000 tons by 2023.

The endangered bluefin tuna is highly prized in Japan for the fatty toro used in sushi restaurants and as sashimi.

But with a recent leveling off in consumption of such expensive tuna, the reduced limits is not expected to lead to higher costs in Japan immediately.

Japan consumes between 70 and 80 percent of the world's bluefin tuna.

A study conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications found that annual spending on tuna per household of two or more people fell from about 9,000 yen in 1998 to less than 6,000 yen in 2008.

Fisheries Agency officials said the volume of frozen bluefin tuna and southern bluefin tuna in storage in Japan has increased yearly. As of September, there was about 24,600 tons in frozen storage, about 10,000 tons more than a decade ago.

Monaco and other countries are calling for a total ban on the trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna because of fears about overfishing.

If a ban is implemented, the volume of bluefin tuna coming into Japan would be halved, with only Pacific bluefin tuna available.

Such a ban is expected to be discussed at the March 2010 conference of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

At the ICCAT meeting in Brazil, a one-year moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing was discussed as an alternative to the proposed trade ban.

The moratorium would be an attempt to restore trust in the ICCAT while also allowing fishing to continue.

However, nations with large fish farms opposed the one-year moratorium.

In a compromise, the catch for 2010 was limited to 13,500 tons. The number could be lowered further after the ICCAT's Standing Committee on Research and Statistics conducts a study on the availability of the fish in 2010.

The deal also includes an emergency provision that would impose a fishing ban should an unexpected situation arise, such as finding a smaller number of young fish.

The Standing Committee on Research and Statistics recommended in November 2008 that 15,000 tons was an appropriate annual catch for Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Due to resistance from large tuna farming nations such as Spain and France, the ICCAT earlier set annual catch limits of 22,000 tons for 2009, 19,950 tons for 2010 and 18,500 tons for 2011. That move was criticized by environmental conservation groups.(IHT/Asahi: November 17,2009)