The scientific committee of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is calling for a 50 percent reduction in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna quota beginning in 2009.
ICCAT will review the quota at its annual meeting in Morocco from Nov. 17 to 24.
According to a report the regulatory agency released late last week, about 61,000 tons of tuna, including illegal and unreported catches, were harvested in 2007. Reported catches in 2007 came to 32,398 tons, although the quota was 29,500 tons.
The committee said the risk of the bluefin tuna stock collapsing was becoming severe and demanded that annual quotas be cut to 15,000 tons or less and maintained for more than 10 years to ensure sustainable catches.
A total of 46 nations, territories and intergovernmental bodies, including Japan, the European Union and the United States, are members of ICCAT.
