Anger over bluefin tuna decision

The Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery, one of the most prized and lucrative, is increasingly threatened with collapse, according to scientists, after the regulatory body established to maintain the fishery has again recommended a quota for the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean population at a level that many scientists and conservationists believe is unsustainable. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) voted last month at a meeting in Marrakech for a quota of 22,000 tonnes to be caught in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic next year, a reduction of 6,500 tonnes from this year's quota. It will be cut to 19,950 tonnes in 2010. However, its scientific advisers had previously advised the maximum sustainable catch was only 15,500 tonnes. The commission, representing the 46 main fishing nations, also rejected scientific advice to close fragile spawning areas in May and June. The discussions were noted for allegations that the European Union had threatened developing states with trade retaliations if they supported lower catch limits and extended closed seasons. The wildlife charity WWF said that the European Union was the main backer of the new quota, with the Brazil in supporting a limit of 15,000 tonnes. " This is not a decision, it's a disgrace, " said Sergi Tudela, head of the WWF's Mediterranean fisheries programme. Greenpeace called the vote disastrous and shameful. " The European Union, representing the majority of Mediterranean countries with interests in the bluefin tuna fishery, has bullied other parties in the meeting into agreeing to management proposals that completely fail to follow the advice of ICCAT's own scientific The quota set last month for catching bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean next year has infuriated scientists and conservationists who believe the stocks face collapse. Nigel Williams reports. Threatened: Scientists and conservationists believe a moratorium is needed to protect rapidly dwindling bluefin tuna stocks but fishing will continue.