Denny
10-17-2007, 04:46 PM
Looks bad for the Euro Tuna fishery-
William Hogarth, the head of NOAA Fisheries Service, has called for a three-to-five year moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean because of the dire state of the stock and continued overfishing. Bill's statement is included below.
Please contact Monica Allen if you would like more information, an interview or other background. We hope you will tell your readers about this important stand for international conservation.
For Immediate Release
Office of the Director
Oct. 17, 2007
Statement from the Director
Subject: Moratorium on fishing of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna
Strong action must be taken immediately to prevent the collapse of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock of bluefin tuna. Continued overfishing of this seriously depleted stock has convinced me to go to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) this fall to seek a moratorium on this fishery for three-to-five years to give the stock time to begin recovery. This November, I will call on the European Commission and the other 44 member nations of ICCAT to join the United States on the side of conservation. We need a determined international effort to save this truly magnificent fish. Given continued blatant violations of catch limits, closed areas, and reporting requirements, a moratorium is the best hope if we want to avert disaster for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. The western stock of bluefin tuna intermixes with the much larger eastern stock, and there is real concern about the impact of uncontrolled eastern bluefin catches on western Atlantic bluefin tuna caught by our fishermen. The United States is committed to taking necessary steps to ensure the future of both stocks of bluefin tuna.
William T. Hogarth, Ph.D.
For further information contact Monica Allen at 301-713-2370
William T. Hogarth is Director of NOAA Fisheries Service, head of the U.S. delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, and chairman of ICCAT. He discusses the proposed moratorium in greater detail in his column, “Bill’s Corner,” at www.nmfs.noaa.gov
--
Monica Allen
Public Affairs Specialist
NOAA Fisheries Service
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
1315 East West Highway
Room 14502
Silver Spring, Md. 20910
Tel.: (301) 713-2370
Fax: (301) 713-1452
Cell: (202) 379-6693
E-mail monica.allen@noaa.gov
William Hogarth, the head of NOAA Fisheries Service, has called for a three-to-five year moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean because of the dire state of the stock and continued overfishing. Bill's statement is included below.
Please contact Monica Allen if you would like more information, an interview or other background. We hope you will tell your readers about this important stand for international conservation.
For Immediate Release
Office of the Director
Oct. 17, 2007
Statement from the Director
Subject: Moratorium on fishing of eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna
Strong action must be taken immediately to prevent the collapse of the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock of bluefin tuna. Continued overfishing of this seriously depleted stock has convinced me to go to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) this fall to seek a moratorium on this fishery for three-to-five years to give the stock time to begin recovery. This November, I will call on the European Commission and the other 44 member nations of ICCAT to join the United States on the side of conservation. We need a determined international effort to save this truly magnificent fish. Given continued blatant violations of catch limits, closed areas, and reporting requirements, a moratorium is the best hope if we want to avert disaster for eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. The western stock of bluefin tuna intermixes with the much larger eastern stock, and there is real concern about the impact of uncontrolled eastern bluefin catches on western Atlantic bluefin tuna caught by our fishermen. The United States is committed to taking necessary steps to ensure the future of both stocks of bluefin tuna.
William T. Hogarth, Ph.D.
For further information contact Monica Allen at 301-713-2370
William T. Hogarth is Director of NOAA Fisheries Service, head of the U.S. delegation to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, and chairman of ICCAT. He discusses the proposed moratorium in greater detail in his column, “Bill’s Corner,” at www.nmfs.noaa.gov
--
Monica Allen
Public Affairs Specialist
NOAA Fisheries Service
U.S. Department of Commerce
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration
1315 East West Highway
Room 14502
Silver Spring, Md. 20910
Tel.: (301) 713-2370
Fax: (301) 713-1452
Cell: (202) 379-6693
E-mail monica.allen@noaa.gov