Greenpeace Slams ‘Unsustainable’ New Tuna Quota

[babylonsister]

Greenpeace Slams ‘Unsustainable’ New Tuna Quota

An international commission designed to protect bluefin tuna stocks has effectively increased the fishing quota for 2008 from what was already an “unsustainable” level, Greenpeace said Sunday.

“Countries are approving a bigger quota for a species that is on the verge of collapse instead of acting immediately to save it,” said Sebastian Losada, Greenpeace Spain’s Oceans Campaigner.

The environmental pressure group said the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), held in Turkeyhad approved a nearly 1,000-tonne increase in the 2008 catch.

Organisers issued no statement on the conclusions of the meeting — attended by a Greenpeace delegation — in the Turkish Mediterranean resort of Antalya.

The increases will add to an “already unsustainable quota that will again in 2008 be around 29,500 tonnes,” Losada said.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/11/19/5333/

[karynnj]

1. The article is confusing and it is hard to tell if the numbers ARE an increase

It sounds like they are allowing those countries who were under quota to add what they didn't use last time, while the EU that was substantially below has to subtract off the overage over the next three years. The quotas before adjustment for 2008 are lower than 2007 - per the goal to cut it 20% over a span of time.

I think we need a clearer article to see if that is true. It is true that some countries will be higher - because of the positive adjustment - it might be that because the overage will be recouped over 3 years and the unders credited immediately that the allowed number will be higher summed over all countries than 2007's was. It does sound though like they are trying to hold to the 15 year plan.

It sounds like Greenpeace (and Senator Kerry) were hoping that the 15 year plan itself could be adjusted downward.

[babylonsister]

2. Maybe this will help:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=115&topic_id=122167