S.O.S. tonyina: WWF/Adena alerta novament la UE
Davant la reunió del Grup de Treball sobre Pesca que tindrà lloc demà a Brussel.les, a porta tancada, per acordar de quina manera es divideixen les quotes relatives a la pesca de la ja sobreexplotada tonyina vermella en preparació del proper Consell de Pesca de la UE (16-17 d’abril) que és quan les quotes es votaran de manera oficial, WWF/Adena alerta un cop més de la situació i demana als governs més responsabilitat i coherència en aquest assumpte de cara a evitar un col.lapse i arribar a un punt de no retorn pel què fa a l’extinció de l’espècie. Un cop més penso que cal prendre’s molt seriosament les alertes de WWF/Adena. (segueix…)
Nota distribuida per WWF/Adena:
Tomorrow in Brussels, top European Union officials are meeting behind closed doors to agree on dividing up their quota for the already overfished Mediterranean bluefin tuna, ahead of the European Fisheries Council on 16-17 April when the quotas will be officially voted in.
However, these fishing nations are taking no steps to save the species from imminent collapse, in spite of urgent scientific advice. On the contrary, prominent fishing nations – particularly France – have openly declared huge over-quota catch, yet no compensation mechanism is being used, despite clear regulation.
Last year the scientific committee of ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) classified Mediterranean bluefin tuna as being in ?the danger zone, at substantial risk of severe decline and stock collapse?. The alarm call could not have been clearer.
WWF has written to all EU fisheries ministers urging their countries to voluntarily cut catches by 50% for conservation, as an urgent measure – a way of buying time to save the species from the imminent collapse that has been predicted by ICCAT’s own scientific committee.
Further, WWF advocates that rogue states – those which have repeatedly overfished Mediterranean bluefin tuna, especially France – should compensate for this through an appropriate reduction in quotas, in line with rules for European fisheries (Council Regulation (EC) 847/96). This was applied in March by the European Commission to the UK and Ireland for overfishing mackerel and herring.
In the letters to ministers, WWF also urges EU bluefin tuna fishing nations not to operate in Libyan waters, where the fishery will be unregulated this year. Libyan waters are the last refuge of vulnerable spawning bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.
?Countries must be held responsible for their overfishing of the Mediterranean’s fragile bluefin tuna,? said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. ?The clock is ticking to save Mediterranean tuna from collapse and every measure must be taken to avoid this.?
Font foto: BBC/AFP