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 .......
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