- ATRT Tuna-Ranching Intelligence Unit - Summary EDITORIAL Page 4 Japan's food supply and demand Page 5 Future outlook of the fisheries industry Page 6 Enough is enough Page 8 The issue isn’t just a Mediterranean one… Page 8 The Japanese Tuna Market Page 11 Difficult situation for tuna industry worldwide Page 11 Tuna landings low Page 11 Spot that Tuna! Page 12 Tuna-Spotters Spotted on the Internet Page 13 Freeze that Tuna! Page 16 Japan rules the waves… Page 18 Australia Page 20 Cape Verde Page 43 Costa Rica Page 43 Croatia Page 44 Note from the authors Cyprus Page 49 ATRT’s Tuna Ranching Intelligence Unit Greece Page 51 (TRIU) 2004 report was indeed intended to be distributed to tuna fishing and ranching operators throughout the Italy Page 53 Mediterranean Sea. The 2004 TRIU report has now hit Indonesia Page 56 almost every news website worldwide and has enjoyed excellent reviews from Japan Page 56 many tuna fishing & ranching concerns. We wish to thank everybody for his or Libya Page 58 her overwhelming positive reaction and support. Malta Page 61 It has also been spinned and criticised by many in the industry. Malaysia Page 66 Our purpose has been served: We have launched a much needed debate among us all, about the future of tuna ranching. Mexico Page 67 Our email box has been literally flooded with new information related to tuna Oman Page 73 ranching in the Med. We believe we had to update our report Panama Page 74 with such information. We are therefore honoured to present to Philippines Page 75 you this Pdf-format Special Updated November 2005 ICCAT Meeting Edition Portugal Page 76 of our TRIU report. Spain Page 77 Thank you again for your support. Tunisia Page 89 The authors Turkey Page 91 th Madrid, November 25 , 2005. USA Page 96 3 - November 2005 - - ATRT Tuna-Ranching Intelligence Unit - this book is to clarify the core of this The question is if Dr. Yuji Uozumi and EDITORIAL issue. Specifically, I address the issue Dr. Jiro Suzuki have had the with a central emphasis on the criteria opportunity to tour the Med and see for to determine the danger of extinction. themselves what empirical facts and scientific hard-evidence are telling us Early 2003, a book by Dr. Yuji Uozumi, I also point out the errors in the all: Blue Fin tuna fishing and ranching a scientist at Japan’s National Research criteria and suggest their improvement in the Mediterranean has grown out of in the hope that no species unlikely to proportion. Institute of Far Seas Fisheries, entitled “Are Tunas Endangered?” was be endangered may be listed and the Such a statement should sound more published by Seizando Shoten conservation of truly endangered than obvious to those across the Mare Publishing Co. in Tokyo, Japan. species may not be hampered. Nostrum who love this business and would like to continue making an On the other hand, we should not be honest living out of it. allowed to indulge in the unlimited use of tunas on the pretext that they are For the past five years, shear greed not endangered. Efforts should be and business short-sightedness among made to avoid any situation that can all of us; have virtually taken our Blue lead to creating serious problems to Fin stock to a complete collapse. the sustainable use of tunas. The history of fisheries is a history of overexploitation, and tuna fisheries are no exception. At present the optimum utilization of tunas is faced with diverse problems, and great efforts have been Author: Dr. Yuji Uozumi, Director of expended for solving them. the Western Pacific Tuna and Skipjack Resources Division, the National This book addresses the issues relating Research Institute of Far Seas to sustainable use and possible Fisheries. measures to be taken. I would only hope that this book would serve to The book “deserves the attention of ensuring that tunas will not be exposed foreign readers”, according to its to the risk of extinction in the future, author who claims to be neither an to avoiding excessive exploitation, and advocate of the fisheries industry nor a to achieving sustainable utilization of green campaigner. Sergi Tudela, WWF’s Mediterranean the resources.” Fisheries Officer Unfortunately only the Japanese Dr. Jiro Suzuki, tuna biologist from the “The current overcapacity of tuna version is available at the moment. National Research Institute of Far Seas farms around the Mediterranean Fisheries, seems to agree with his (41,212 tonnes, to be compared to a Yet, Dr. Uozumi is keen to point out to colleague. total quota of 32,000 tonnes according whoever wants to listen that “Tunas to ICCAT) results in a real race for the The Isaribi July 2005 news letter by the last tuna from the start of the fishing are not endangered. This obvious fact is debated heatedly at such forums as Japan Fisheries Association, publishes season to the start of the seasonal the Convention on International Trade an article in which Dr. Suzuki closure of the purse seine fishery, the th challenges Dr. Boris Worm of Dalhousie in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 15 July. All evidences point to the and Flora (CITES). I would like to University and Dr. Ransom Myers of widespread violation of ICCAT question the reason for this situation. the same university, recent findings management rules during this period, published in Nature Magazine (May 15, including the ban on aerial spotting in Why were tunas listed in the Red List 2005). as a species threatened with June,” says The World Wildlife Fund, extinction? What is the merit of listing WWF. WWF contended in its June 2004 Tuna tunas, which are far removed from the According to the co-authors, large risk of extinction? Will it not only predatory fish biomass today is only ranching Report that “the rapid growth confuse the conservationist about 10% of levels before commercial of tuna ranching is unsustainable and movement? One of the objectives of fisheries began. harming already depleted 4 - November 2005 - - ATRT Tuna-Ranching Intelligence Unit - Mediterranean wild tuna stocks and is a world, (2) the supply and demand for a cow 3 – 4 kilograms of grains. A big threat to the livelihood of fishermen food in Japan, and (3) the future drastic change is underway in which who use sustainable fishing methods.” outlook of the fisheries industry. grains cannot be obtained unless they are imported from other countries. Sergi Tudela, WWF’s Mediterranean “The world population now exceeds 6 Fisheries Officer (Barcelona, Spain), billion, with a prospect to increase to About 11% of grains produced remains convinced that tuna ranching 8.5 billion in 2030. worldwide move across national is putting more pressure on wild stocks Essential for human existence is food, borders. About 30% of soybeans are and is not being properly dealt with by and food supports population growth. traded internationally, with 18% of the GFCM/ICCAT working group. In other words, the supply of food wheat and 5.7% of rice. As for fishery determines the scale of the population. products, 37% are internationally “Tuna ranching is supporting the traded, with Japan buying the bulk of development of purse seining for The world population doubled during them. On the other hand, 30% of the catching tuna in the Mediterranean”, the past 40 years, from 3 billion in gross domestic production (GDP) of he says. 1960 to 6 billion in 2000, and the bulk Norway comes from fisheries, with the of the food supply during this period country striving to foster this industry He points out that less regulated came from agricultural and livestock as an export sector. countries, such as Algeria and Tunisia, products. Especially, the supply of are not reporting their activities and meat and dairy products saw a visible Two arguments are put forward about are building new fleets that will further increase. Those products are produced the future of the world's food situation. exploit wild stocks. by feeding cattle with grass and grains. Optimists say that the market Grain production in the world stands at mechanism will work, with prices rising “Nobody can tell you if the quota is 2.1 billion tonnes, of which Japan as supply decreases. They also point being reached or not”, he points out, produces about 10 million tonnes. On out that food production increases adding that tuna ranching is disrupting the other hand, world fishery through technological innovations such the way fisheries biologists collect production is 140 million tonnes, of as genetic modification. Conversely, data. which Japanese production accounts pessimists view that environmental for 5-6 million tonnes. China produces restraints will increase and global Japanese customers and some times 50 million tonnes, centring on inland warming will intensify. It is said that a business partners have been only too water fisheries. rise of one degree centigrade in happy to pay whatever price for the temperature would mean a decrease of fish, as long as they could ship it back 500,000 tonnes in agricultural to Tokyo or Osaka. production. Some of the big Sogo Soshas, (Japans’ biggest diversified corporations) would even go into multimillion Euro Japan's food supply investments, provided Mediterranean operators, would keep on delivering and demand whatever Tsukiji was able to absorb. Japan's population in the Heian Period The crude reality is that our Mare (794-1185) was 6 million with 1 million Nostrum, our fish, our know-how and hectares of arable land. In the Edo our professional passion for fishing and Period (1603-1868), the population ranching are nothing else and nothing increased to 12 million with 2 million more than mere financial parameters, hectares of arable land, further rising indicators or factors in the eyes of in the Meiji Period (1868-1912) to 34 those who in Japan dictate fishing and million with 4 million hectares.