As the purse seine bluefin tuna fishing period gets under way this week, the European Commission is backing a new control and inspection program designed to make sure stocks are sustainably managed.
The bluefin tuna fishery is regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) where the E.U. and member states are members. ICCAT adopted a reinforced multi-annual recovery plan for bluefin tuna at its last annual meeting in November 2012. The plan enhances the sustainable management of the stock and introduces a number of new control measures.
Purse seiners are allowed to fish for the tuna between 26 May and 24 June in the Mediterranean and the Eastern Atlantic, but officials from seven E.U. member states will be on hand to monitor catches and study vessel monitoring system data.
