The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005 Uncovering the real story
The collapse of fisheries management
San Félix © Manu
An independent study conducted by ATRT, S.L. for WWF
The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005. Uncovering the real story
© WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature
May 2006
More information:
WWF Mediterranean Programme Office Via Po, 25/c 00198 Rome (Italy) Tel: +39 06 844 97 424 Fax: + 39 06 841 38 66 [email protected]
WWF/Adena Gran Vía de San Francisco, 8-D 28005 Madrid Tel: + 34 91 354 05 78 Fax: + 34 91 365 63 36 [email protected]
This study has been conducted thanks to funding by the OAK Foundation
The views expressed in this report by ATRT S.L. are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and position of WWF Introductory section by WWF
dimension underlying the plunder of the Foreword Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna population. Today there is consensus that in a context of sustained WWF has been closely monitoring the increase of fishing and farming rise of tuna farming activities in the overcapacity, all the attempts to achieve a Mediterranean since their early real regional management of this key beginning, particularly addressing how Mediterranean fish resource have resulted the rapid expansion of this new industrial in a complete failure. It is not an activity in the Mediterranean was overstatement to say that the fishery – exacerbating the mismanagement of the itself amongst the oldest in the world- already overexploited East Atlantic stock faces a high risk of collapse. And this risk of bluefin tuna (BFT). The reports Tuna is socially and ecologically unaffordable. farming in the Mediterranean: the “coup In this context, WWF believes that the de grâce” to a dwindling population? and next ICCAT meeting to be held in Tuna farming in the Mediterranean: the Duvrovnik (Croatia) in November 2006, bluefin tuna stock at stake, released by where the management of the Atlantic WWF in 2002 and 2004, respectively, bluefin tuna is to be completely revisited, soon became acknowledged references on could well be the last chance to reverse the real extent of the problem and raised this limit situation. international concern on the fate of the world’s major bluefin tuna fishery. With the above antecedents, and in view Indeed, the latter one included a first of all the failed previous attempts to preliminary assessment of real total reverse this mismanagement picture, catches on the stock, which were roughly WWF has commissioned to ATRT S.L. established at more than 40,000 t based the current report, with the difficult and on the historical share of purse seine challenging task to uncover -for the first catches with respect to total catches. This time ever- the real figures of IUU catches preliminary assessment already pointed to on the bluefin tuna stock harvested in the very substantial unreported IUU catches Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic (if compared to a total TAC of 32,000 t). waters. Also, in addition to replying to the question of “how much” this report Unfortunately enough, the facts during was asked to give a clear answer to the the last 5 years have largely demonstrated related key questions of “how?”, “by that WWF’s repeated warns were proven whom?”, and “why?”, so that in addition fully justified. ATRT’s Tuna Ranching to providing a documented assessment of Intelligence Unit reports released in 2004 the fishery it gives useful clues on the and 2005 fully confirmed the points effective remedial actions that should be raised by WWF, stressing the full global adopted by ICCAT this year. Main findings
Conservative estimates of approx. For the sake of credibility and 45,000 t of BFT taken on the Eastern transparency of the study, a robust and Atlantic stock in 2004 and 2005 strongly conservative approach for reported above entail a minimum illegal bluefin tuna (BFT) catch estimates for overquota catch of 40% above the total 2004 and 2005 has been sought. To this quota of 32,000 t set by ICCAT. end five parallel studies, based on Accounting for BFT harvested by different research approaches and the national fleets in Spain, France and analysis of independent datasets, have Italy and destined to the respective been done. These refer to a) external trade internal markets would likely point to data, b) fisheries data (2004 only; actual total catches well in excess of crosscheck of different official reports), 50,000 t. c) fisheries data (2005 only; real catch estimates), d) farmed production data and The above catch estimates are fully e) traffic of specialized bluefin tuna consistent with estimates of BFT reefers and containers outwards the farmed in the Mediterranean (around Mediterranean. In some of the studies, as 30,000 t per year in 2004 and 2005) and deemed necessary, different scenarios estimates of shipments out of the have been envisaged. Throughout the Mediterranean as reported below. different analytical approaches, the best conversion factors to estimate wild round Current catches rely on the last weight have been chosen; in case of spawning aggregations of BFT in the doubt, the most conservative figures have Southern and Eastern been selected. Mediterranean. Purse seine fleets in the Mediterranean are quickly The main results of this study and some switching from the more traditional of their immediate implications are fishing grounds in the Western Basin, summarized as follows: now considerably exhausted, to the last breeding refuges in the region found in Total catches on the East Atlantic the Levant Sea and Libya. Dramatically (incl. Mediterranean) BFT stock are higher catch rates (see Figure below) dramatically higher than the 32,000 t ICCAT quota. According to the CPUE of French and Spanish Purse Seiners in different studies and scenarios analysed, Western Mediterranean and Levant minimum catches in 2004 and 2005 can 35 S
be summarized by the following ranges: 30
25 2004 41,998 t < BFT round wild weight < 47,898 t (average of 44,948 t) 20
15 2005 41,904 t < BFT round wild 10 PUE (tonnes/day/vessel) PUE
weight < 49,191 t (average of 45,547 t) C 5
0 Western Mediterranean Levant Sea and much reduced fuel prices are at the French, Spanish and Libyan purse seine roots of this fishing effort migration. fleets operating in partnership Real catch figures are deliberately amounted to 17,232 t (of which some underreported at the official level. In 7,000 t would have been taken in some instances, an important mismatch Libyan waters); this figure, attributed to between official declarations is detected only purse seine vessels operating in the when comparing national reports on Mediterranean, largely exceeds the total trade flows and national catch reports to combined 2005 quota (East Atlantic and ICCAT officially informing on Mediterranean, all gears) for these three compliance with the quota. France’s countries. This fleet includes a total 51 officially reported total catches in the modern purse seine vessels, 10 of them Mediterranean and East Atlantic for being former French ones recently 2004 amounted to 9,458 t according to reflagged in Libya but still under direct EU Eurostat database (9,456 t reported French control and effectively based in by OFIMER-DPMA), to be compared France. Libya has not reported to to only 7,030 t reported to ICCAT. The ICCAT any catch statistics for 2004 and former figure is worth 3,225 t above the 2005. national quota (51% overfishing). Besides, unreported catches within An increasing amount of Libya’s Fisheries Zone (excluding the unreported tuna catches is shipped activity of the mixed “multinational” out of the Mediterranean on board fleets referred to above) are estimated at massive reefer vessels and cold 3,570 t in 2005, 2,140 t in excess of containers. According to industry Libya’s ICCAT quota. According to the sources and Lloyd’s Marine report, a Korean/Maltese/Libyan “Tuna Intelligence Unit at least 13 reefer Hotel” joint-venture inside Libya’s freezing vessels and smaller long-line Fisheries Zone during 2005 accounted type boats performing 19 trips operated for 1,750 t of BFT having been in 2004 to ship frozen BFT out of the transferred live to cages, slaughtered Mediterranean, either to Japan or to and processed at sea (not undergoing intermediate transhipment ports like any proper ranching activity). Further Las Palmas. Reefer activity was higher 910 t were purse-seined and slaughtered in 2005, with a minimum fleet of 18 at sea by Libyan vessels. These catches vessels totalling 29 trips. Total remain unreported to ICCAT. estimated frozen BFT taken out of the Mediterranean by these fleets amounted Some 52 BFT cages were operational to 25,012 t in 2004 and 47,965 t in 2005 inside Libya’s Fisheries Zone during (equivalent round weight at slaughter), 2005. Purse seine fishing there assuming -based on industry sources- benefited from illegal tuna-spotting they operated at their maximum flights in June, some of them being capacity. The latter figure includes operated from Malta and Lampedusa 6,403 t of BFT (equivalent round (Italy). weight) loaded in 230 cold containers in Spain. Illegal activities by EU BFT fleets are a mockery to European EU fleets (mostly French) and taxpayers. Most of EU purse seine Libya are largely responsible for BFT fishing fleets operating in the most of IUU catches. According to this Mediterranean were completely report, total BFT catches in the renewed in the last 10 years thanks to Mediterranean in 2005 by the mixed massive EU public funds out of the
BFT Catches (E. Atlantic + Mediterranean)
60,000
former Financial Instrument for 50,000 Fisheries Guidance (FIFG). In the case of the French fleet 10 of the original 40,000 vessels were not scrapped, but Catches 30,000
reflagged in Libya from where they Minimum Unreported
continued exploiting the same BFT (tonnes) Catches 20,000 stock under effective French control. The large amounts of unreported 10,000 catches generated by this highly 0 overcapacity renewed and exported 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 fleet likely result in a gigantic tax fraud Year to the national and European economic unrestricted expansion of tuna farms, authorities. added to the current reliance of catches
on the last, previously unexploited, The irregular situation of Turkey in spawning refuges of the species in the ICCAT (no specific quota allocated) Mediterranean (Levant Sea and Libya), has resulted in significant unreported points to the likely pre-collapse status of . According to this report, catches this fishery. around 2,800 t of unreported BFT
catches were ranched in North Cyprus Captures by the 4 Spanish tuna traps in in 2004. the straits of Gibraltar during the last 3
years declined by near 80% with respect From the above data it can thus be of reference levels in late 90’s (from concluded that a very significant share of 15,000/18,000 individuals to merely all BFT harvested in the Mediterranean 4,000 individuals). 2006 fishing season and Eastern Atlantic waters qualifies as (May-June) is the worst ever on record IUU production. Worryingly enough, (tuna traps being many centuries old). these massive unreported catches result Only a few hundred tunas had been from the activity of regional fleets caught at the mid of the season, which belonging to prominent ICCAT suggest the effective collapse of this Contracting Parties. fishery, the oldest BFT fishery in the Mediterranean. It is undisputable that the BFT fishery is currently running out of control, victim of Unless strong management measures are widespread violations of ICCAT rules immediately implemented to reduce and of the overall inadequacy of the fishing mortality –and it may well be current management system. Indeed, the already too late- the collapse of the scenario pinpointed by this study clearly overall BFT fishery will soon follow. shows that current catches on eastern Atlantic BFT are similar to those reported Spanish Atlantic Tuna Traps Production in the mid 90’s, which suggests that the TAC-based ICCAT management system 20,000 established in the late 90’s was simply 18,000 never implemented: 16,000 14,000 The real stagnation of catches during the 12,000 last 10 years in spite of the dramatic 10,000 increase in fishing capacity of industrial 8,000 purse seine fleets, fuelled by the 6,000 Production (Nº of fish) of fish) (Nº Production 4,000 May 15 2,000 0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Year Management proposals
adult, spawner tuna population fraction, which WWF calls on the responsibility of exacerbates the risk of stock collapse. The ICCAT contracting parties and urges bulk of spawning size fish catches occur them to adopt a real long-term recovery between May and July. plan for the East Atlantic stock of BFT this year, which should include a set of 2. Improved reporting system effective management measures in the including observers and real time framework of an effective reporting submission of information to a system and much reduced fishing centralized ICCAT body possibilities. In the meantime, given the virtual unregulated nature of the fishery For Purse seine vessels: and the strong likeliness of a near collapse, WWF calls for the immediate Contracting Parties shall appoint and complete closure of the fishery. observers on board all purse seiners (> 24-m of desk length) targeting BFT, In this broader context, WWF believes during the whole fishing season. that the following 4 measures should be Catches resulting from each included in the above-mentioned fishing operation will be reported recovery plan so as to maximize the electronically by the captain of the chances for the currently overexploited fishing vessels to the fishing authorities BFT population to rebuild to safe of the flag state within 24 hours. biological levels compatible with a long- The fishing authorities of the flag term sustainable exploitation, and to state will submit to a centralized avoid the current risk of collapse of the ICCAT body daily information on total fishery: BFT catches by their national purse seine fleet within the following 3 days. 1. Extension of the current seasonal Observers shall record the amount closure for purse seining of catches per fishing operation as well as geographical information and submit Based on SCRS and other scientific it electronically to both the fishing advice: authorities of the flag state and ICCAT centralized body on a weekly basis. Purse seine fishing on BFT in the They will also inform on any East Atlantic and Mediterranean shall transshipment operation. be prohibited during the period between 1 May and 31 July.. For Farms:
Rationale.- The current overcapacity of tuna Contracting Parties shall appoint 1 farms around the Mediterranean results in a observer on each authorized farm real race for the last tuna. In this context, only during the whole farming period. clear effort management measures, easy to Observers shall record the amount apply and control, can lead to an immediate of live tuna involved in each transfer real reduction of fishing effort, consistent with operation (inputs and outputs), the actual harvesting possibilities offered by including information on the tug boat the stock. Fishing pressure is extreme on the and the source fishing vessel(s) for inputs and on transshipments to reefers well as the market profitability of farmed for outputs. The information will be products. submitted electronically on a weekly basis to both the fishing authorities of the farming state and ICCAT 4. Setting a biologically-based centralized body. minimum landing size
Rationale.- The current quota system is little Minimum landing size (as weight) of more than a political tool to share fishing BFT in the East Atlantic and opportunities among Contracting Parties; it Mediterranean will be increased to should be urgently transformed into an 30-kg, to match sexual maturity of the operational management tool. To achieve this, species a new reporting system tailored to fisheries management purposes and supporting real time interventions is needed. Taking into account the enormous difficulties to obtain reliable statistics, the strong concentration of catches in a very short main fishing season and the high economic profitability of the fishery, a compulsory comprehensive observer programme should be put in place for this purpose.
3. Allocation of a total quota for farming on a country basis