Wrap up

The meetings ended at 6 PM in Paris. Here is a quick summary of the actions taken and avoided:

Winners: White marlin and blue marlin conservation measures held in place. Swordfish continues with no loss of U.S. quota ----- pretty good work there....

Eastern bluefin tuna: Quota set at 12,900 mt - 500 mt less than this year. No spawning area closures but France will be held to deducting 1500 mt from their 2000 mt share in 2011.

Western bluefin tuna: Quota reduced slightly to 1750 mt.

The shark measures remained as previously reported.

Losers: No action was taken on conservation measures for bigeye tuna (bigeye will be the next bluefin on the ICCAT scoreboard of failures unless something happens soon) despite proposals for continuing quota and a closed area in the Gulf of guinea spawning area. Fifteen Taiwanese vessels will move onto those grounds from the Indian Ocean and vessels displaced by bluefin quota reductions are going to increase effort on these juvenile fish.

Despite a clear scientific mandate of needed reductions in fishing mortality severely overfished Mediterranean swordfish stocks did not even see a preliminary proposal for conservation offered.

Although many are again disappointed by the lack of aggressive conservation action by ICCAT it seems clear that the mindset is beginning to change. Things are getting better at a very slow pace ..................

I'm coming home .......

First move on eastern bluefin tuna

A proposal for eastern bluefin by the European Union and Japan has just been circulated. It proposes a quota of 12,900 mt (currently set at 13,500) for 2011 and onward until changed. There are no new spawning ground closures included. Several new actions to strengthen enforcement and tracking of landings were a part of the proposal.

Hammerheads get a last minute reprieve

After failing to get earlier consensus on a conservation measure for hammerhead sharks the issue came up again before the full Commission. Concessions made by Japan allowed agreement and a measure that would require all hammerheads to be released in all fisheries (sport and commercial) and prohibits any possession, trade or sale was passed. An exception to these provisions was granted for artisanal fisheries in "developing coastal" nations where such fish are only taken for local consumption and the nations reported catch data to ICCAT. The exception precludes any international trade in the sharks or their fins and the nations receiving this exception were asked to cap catches at current levels.

Similar last minute efforts to develop conservation measures for porbeagle and thresher sharks failed. The proposal to require all sharks be landed with fins attached (to prevent discarding bodies while retaining the valuable fins) also failed.

Tension mounts in ICCAT's last day

Saturday Nov. 27: After 10 days of behind the scenes discussions, arm-twisting and threats ICCAT moves into the final day of the 2010 meeting today with all eyes on the outcome of bluefin tuna deliberations. Insiders are looking to a status quo quota of 1850 mt for the western stock, but the outcome for eastern bluefin seems more up in the air. The current 13,500 mt quota is emerging as the likely upper limit while some wait to see it the EU will make any move to go lower. Complicating the issue is hard pressure from Tunisia, Egypt and Libya to gain a larger share of the eastern stock allocation.

This formal allocation sunsets this year and a not so subtle threat from Libya to let it lapse and open up an international derby race to catch what can be caught before the total quota is reached - a move that would radically destabilize the fishery - is seen as a gambit to wrest quota shares from the EU. Complicating matters within the EU is the fact that France faces a 1500 mt payback penalty for previous overages - a penalty that would leave that nation with only 500 mt to divide amongst its large fleet.

While there still exists the potential for further action on bigeye tuna and sharks bluefin is center stage and there are 10 hours left for the drama to unfold. My guess? I think the quota will be reduced to 11,500 mt and there will be no action on proposals to close the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds to all bluefin harvest. If Libya doesn't get concessions from the EU and they allow the present allocation formula to sunset the fishery will go toxic next year and quota overages - reported and illegal catches - will again skyrocket.

So stay tuned . . . .

Sharks get short changed by ICCAT

Friday 11/26, 6:15 PM: Except for conservation measures approved earlier this week that prohibited possession, retention and sale of oceanic white tip sharks, ICCAT has failed to follow though on approving measures to ban finning by requiring sharks be landed with fins attached, create protections for all thresher sharks, porbeagle sharks, hammerheads and shortfin mako sharks ----oh --- wait --- they did approve a measure for makos >>>>> it asks that member nations try not to increase their catches and report catch data in a more timely fashion. Oh yah ----

Opposition to shark measures centered around Japan and Canada. Mexico, Brazil, the EU and the US supported the rejected attempts at providing substantive conservation protections for these long-lived and slow reproducing species. And yes - still no action on the star of the party: bluefin tuna.

Bluefin negotiations all tied up.

Friday 11/26, 1 PM: Talks have stalled and nothing is moving forward here. Now looking for perhaps some breakthrough after 5 PM.

Will the quota for bluefin tuna be reduced?

NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenko and TBF President/ICCAT Commissioner Ellen Peel meet the press after ICCAT opening meeting.

Friday 11/26:
During the opening ceremony last week the Administrator for NOAA - Dr. Jane Lubchenko - said the U.S. would seek precautionary reductions in quotas for both east and west Atlantic stocks of bluefin tuna. Canada is opposed to any further reductions in western bluefin quota and after airing an early move to increase the quota has now tabled a document that would maintain the current 1850 metric ton level. The U.S. has table a document with all the actual quota numbers rendered as XXXXXXs. All cards are are close to the vest on negotiaitons over numbers for the eastern stock. My guess is that nothing will come forward until tomorrow - probably late in the afternoon when the time pressure towards the end of the meeting adds to the drama.

Friday 11/26: No action on bluefin tuna as the parties are engaging in cooperative (i.e. secret) negotiations. Sailfish conservation measures appear to be dead for this year. Proposals to ban the harvest or possession of shortfin mako, bigeye thresher and hammerhead sharks are still under consideration but Caribbean and African nations are holding out for exceptions for their coastal artisinal fisheries. Long lunch break for arm twisting and then back to talk about either bigeye tuna, sharks or ...........................................> another long break

Sanctions for exceeding marlin quota

The U.K Overseas Territories, Barbados, Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago will receive a "Letter of Concern" (a very minor form of sanction) for two years of exceeding their allowed quotas of white and blue marlin. Both nations vow to correct the situation, but continued overages could result in reductions in quota for other species (bluefin tuna, swordfish) in the future. While this seems a slap on the wrist - and it is frankly less than that - it is a pretty bold move on ICCAT's part given past history of ignoring violations of billfish conservation measures.

Peaceful night, damp morning

Following the lead of North Korea the pieces from Greenpeace kept a low profile - a few pamphleteers - last night and the ICCAT delegates enjoyed an undisturbed dinner. Now it seems someone with access to the meeting room pulled a prank of their own. Apparently he - or she - saturated the chair cushion of a Greenpeace delegate with what appeared to be water. Upon taking a seat this morning the surprised delegate leapt from his seat shouting "merde" and wiping his rather wet pants.

Yesterday's negotiations over bluefin tuna ended with Libya leading a coalition of the souther Mediterranean nations in what is forming into an attempt to pry allocation away from the major EU players. Bluefin comes back up in a few hours. I trust our friends back in the States are enjoying a pleasant Thanksgiving.

Dr. Russell Nelson: ICCAT white and blue marlin conservation

Right on the heels of the sailfish offering Brazil tabled a proposal to continue and strengthen the present conservation measures (release of live marlin and annual quotas and the U.S. 250 marlin annual limit) but the usual players - Japan and the EU (who have both exceeded their quotas in past two years) - are throwing stones into the pathway, trying to force a temporary delay in consideration. Trinidad and Tobago want more marlin for targeting with their developing commercial fleet.

In a defensive posture Brazil proposed simply rolling over the present regulations for one year.

Mexico also sounded up on the issue of increasing their commercial allocation of marlin - a quota they have exceeded for the last three years.

Finally in an unexpected display of consensus the members just agreed to continue the present measures for one more year.

Dr. Russell Nelson : Sailfish

11/23. This morning ICCAT has considered for the first time at this meeting a proposal to require that all sailfish that are alive when brought to longline vessels be release and sport fisheries taking sailfish endeavor to increase the voluntary releases to 95% of their total catch. The proposal would exempt artisanal (small coastal craft) fisheries.

Opposition from Japan, the European Union and Canada has halted consideration of this minimal conservation measure. It may come back before the Commission later in the week.

Dr. Russell Nelson Sunday night kidnapping

On Sunday night a large group of ICCAT delegates boarded a sightseeing vessel on the Seine in expectation of a slow cruise to view the lights of Paris. Shortly after arrival three inflatables motor craft and 4 inflatable kayaks emerged from the shadows manned by the valiant Greenpieces well fortified in survival suits. The pieces proceeded to entangle the props with a faux longline that they then surrounded the cruise vessel with in what became a successful attempt to again save the bluefin tuna by preventing delegates from seeing the lights of Paris. Paris police arrived on the water and a SWAT team stormed the docks to engage in a Keystone Cops episode of pursuit and avoidance.

The pieces were not successful at deploying a large banner on the cruise boat but they did manage to avoid arrest over a two hour period in which they courageously jumped into the water to force police divers to go after them and haul them into the police boats where they turned docile and sat politely awaiting the harvest of their peers. Eventually all the pieces and their craft were hauled out and carted away to gaol.

In a daring simultaneous operation another battalion of these brave warriors attacked five empty buses and succeeded in again pasting them over with posters. They also deployed a large banner from the bridge over the Seine and AGAIN verbally saved the bluefin before the police vans roared in , sirens blaring, and began chasing the land based pieces down. All in all most of the folks trapped on the immobile cruise boat took this exhibition of bravery on the part of the pieces with good humor and lots of picture taking. Of particular enjoyment was the response of the vessel crew who whole heartedly prevented pieces from boarding the craft by deploying a pair of fire hoses.

In the end the pieces were sequestered and hauled off and again they succeeded in saving bluefin tuna by turning a growing number of the members and their delegations against their position. If the Russians were a practical example of change in attitude one might expect ICCAT to leave any new conservation regulations in abeyance. The most curious part of all this is that while the pieces had their own photo crew to record the battle their was no local or international press around. The story of the daring assault against a docile sightseeing boat did not make it to the TVs and newspapers of the world.

Despite the silly pranks of these post-adolescent warriors demonstrating a 12 year old's sense of humor most conservationists inside the process continue to work positively to initiate new conservation regulations for bluefin.

Greenpeace video perspective: http://www.euronews.net/nocomment/2010/11/24/greenpeace-france-activists-block-pro-fishing-lobby-cruise/

more to come .........

Sharks at ICCAT

Dr. Russell Nelson 11/23: ICCAT has approved a prevision that will require that all oceanic whitetip sharks (one of the five most vulnerable to fishing mortality) be released in all fisheries - commercial and recreational - and no retention aboard, transhipment, landing, storing, selling or offering for sale will be prohibited.

Dr. Russell Nelson Tuesday 11/23: Bluefin tuna and Greenpeace - Sunday was an off day for ICCAT delegates but marked the beginning of the merry pranks by the youthful activists from Greenpeace. An auto mounted with a life size bluefin tuna an commanded by the misguided greenies followed for three hours a bus taking some delegates on a tour of Paris. With siren blaring, horn honking and a loudspeaker deployed and demanding freedom for the bluefin they dodged in and out of Paris traffic in an attempt to … well … to do what?

When the bus stopped for lunch a battalion of 8 stormed out of the alley and began covering the sides and windows of the tour bus with 2 by three foot posters carrying the same message. When politely confronted with the argument that there were many on the bus who were seriously working to get greater protections for the fish and the suggestion that covering the window through which they were hoping to catch a glimpse of Paris might be…. perhaps …. counter productive … the stupefied green warriors reacted with all the logical conviction of a beer blasted fraternity nut bent on papering the house of the Dean. Oh yeah the games began.

During the first meaningful discussions of new management measures for bluefin on Monday Libya came out of left field to offer the motion that a two year moratorium be put in place for both east and west Atlantic bluefin. As member nations tiptoed around this idea and spent two hours offering platitudes of homage to the science and the need for real conservation the head delegate from Libya demanded a vote by the panel – an ICCAT first. After another half hour of arguing whether such an action was permissible (it was ruled the ICCAT Chair) the delegates were left with no cover and proceeded to a 11-5 (4 abstentions) vote against the idea. The meeting adjourned for another attempt at seeing the sites of the city of lights – this time from the Seine….. (more to come)

load of fish 2

Yellowfin

Yellowfin tuna also have 'stabilized" at populations abundances ~ 25% of the levels seen in the 1960s. Scientists recommend no increases in fishing mortality.

Large (> 250') purse seine vessels are taking an increasing share of bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the Atlantic. These are smaller and usually juvenile fish.

The word is in on bigeye....

The word is in on bigeye tuna. For the past 5 years catches have stayed somewhat below the quota of 85,000 metric tons (mt) -that is 187,000,000 pounds- and the stock has responded positively and is no longer overfished. The assessment scientists recommend that catches not be allowed to exceed 85,000 mt and that no increases be allowed on juvenile fish.

On seine nets....

Purse seine fishing uses a deep (> 200 feet) net to encircle a school of fish, then pulling a draw line around the bottom to "purse" the net closed, capturing the fish. The net is then drawn tighter, concentrating the catch which is then "bailed" into the purse seiners hold with a large dip-type net.

ICCAT in Paris today

ICCAT opens this morning with over 100 press folks in attendance. For those of you who are interested I'll be blogging on this meeting where 48 nations will fight over tuna and billfish for the next 10 days. Check it out on "The Billfish Foundation".