WWF: Bluefin quota cuts too little, too late

 The World Wildlife Fund on Friday said a 20 percent cut in the Southern bluefin tuna quota could still be too little, too late to save the species.

The WWF and wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC, speaking at the conclusion of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) in South Korea, said that even under a best case scenario, the species populations will not recover for many years.

"The members agree it is a crisis with the breeding stock being somewhere between 3 and 8 percent of its original level," said Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC's Global Marine Program leader. "A 20 percent cut is a step toward resolving the terribly low level of Southern bluefin tuna stock, with the scientific assessment of the scenario saying there could be recovery, but only after many years."

The organizations have asked for a temporary closure of the fishery and Australia officials have asked for a 50 percent cut in quotas.

As for Atlantic bluefin, an international trade ban has been proposed and WWF plans to press for a moratorium on the fishery at an upcoming meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna.

"Our biggest concern is the need to reduce illegal catches and ensure that members stick to their quotas so that we don't have some members withdrawing from the bank while others bank recovery for the future," said Sant. "Some members have been burnt by this situation in the past when a member in effect over-caught its quota by some 200,000 metric tons over 20 years, in effect withdrawing all the stock recovery banked by others."

At the end of two years, members will agree on a management method that will more effectively advise them on what changes need to be made. If an agreement cannot be reached in 2011, the quota will be further reduced to 50 percent of its current volume and an emergency rule has been agreed upon that if recruitment of juvenile fish falls below historical lows the fishery will be closed.

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