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.