The results of the 2 to 6 September closed-door meeting of the Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) have been released, revealing that the proposals to increase total allowable catch (TAC) for Pacific bluefin tuna (PBT) have been rejected.
The committee, which had gathered in Portland, Oregon, rejected proposals by both Japan and South Korea for an increase in light of a slight increase in the estimated PBT population. Stock assessments in 2016 and 2018 showed population growth from 2.6 percent of its estimated historic unfished size to 3.4 percent.
Japan had sought a 20 percent increase for adult bluefin tuna quota and 10 percent for juveniles, as well as approval of a system to shift quota between adults and juveniles. Juvenile PBT have become a choke species since hard limits began to be enforced in Japan, threatening the closure of set net fishing for mackerel or other species when the bycatch of PBT becomes too high. More flexibility in the system would reduce the risk of closures. South Korea had proposed a 25 percent across-the-board quota hike.
The committee rejected the proposals, largely due to opposition from the United States, but allowed Japan to acquire 300 MT of Taiwan's adult bluefin tuna quota for 2020. The committee also agreed that up to 17 percent of a member's unreached 2019 quota can be carried over to increase their catch of both adult and juvenile fish in 2020. Currently, 5 percent can be carried over.
Although the TAC was not changed, the measures approved can be expected to increase the 2020 harvest through the carrying over 12 percent of more of the previous year’s unused amount. Also, applying this amount to juveniles could have a greater impact on the stock, given that their lighter weight (under 30 kilograms) means more individual fish are taken per MT.
Jamie Gibbon, an international fisheries expert for The Pew Charitable Trusts who attended the meeting, said the organization was disappointed by the increases.
“It is very discouraging that members of the WCPFC Northern Committee have recommended to allow Japan and other countries to increase their catch of Pacific bluefin tuna next year, even though the population has been decimated to just 3.3 percent of its historic level by nearly a century of overfishing,” Gibbon said. “Allowing this increase ignores the scientific advice and makes it less likely that species will recover. We now urge members of the WCPFC to reject this irresponsible recommendation at their annual meeting in December.”
While the vote was taken, the meeting failed to reach the required quorum due to the absence of four members, China, the Philippines, Fiji and Vanuatu. In order for the decision to go into effect, the committee will need to reconvene at the WCPFC annual meeting in December to officially adopt the outcome.
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