[bigmahi]

Here is an exerpt from the Oceana website on the ruling to prohibit
Bluefin driftnetting.There is strong belief that our Bluefin mix with
the Med stocks so this should be good news over the years for our fishing opportunity-bigmahi

"Three years ago, Oceana's European staff redoubled their efforts to stop the illegal tuna fishery in the Mediterranean Sea, where nearly 100 French "thonaille" driftnetting boats have been operating in flagrant violation of the 2002 European Union ban on the use of all driftnets because of their cataclysmic consequences for cetaceans and other sea mammals - as well as the bluefin tuna.
Scientific studies have shown that illegal fishing of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean is some of the highest in the world, where overfishing has directed pressure ever downward on younger and smaller tuna, placing enormous stress on the fish as they struggle to mature long enough to reproduce. French driftnetters have turned a blind eye to the state of this fishery - and its tragic bycatch -continuing to use these "walls of death" through special fishing permits and temporary exemptions.

In a ruling at the end of February, the European Court of Justice rejected any further requests by the French for such exemptions, which means the thonaille boats will not fish this spring - or ever. Exasperated by continued maneuvering by the French authorities and fisheries to classify these boats as traditional or artisanal, the Court sided with Oceana scientists and with the European Council that passed a regulation ruling that the use of all types of driftnet fishing be considered IUU - Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported - under EU rules.

Our video documentation of this illegal fishery last spring from the decks of the Ranger showed the driftnetters to be anything but small-time fishermen, some using nets 9 kilometers long and 30 meters high. When six of these boats surrounded and attacked the Ranger last May, with the aim of confiscating the video our crew had taken of the unlawful disposal of bycatch and undersized tuna, we knew they really had something to hide.

The ruling promises immediate payoff. Over 25,000 juvenile bluefin tuna will be spared annually, which scientists say can contribute to the recovery of the tuna stocks throughout the Mediterranean provided that other urgently needed measures to prevent overfishing are taken. Also spared are the 10,000 non-targeted marine creatures caught annually in the driftnets - including stingrays, loggerhead turtles, striped and Risso's dolphins, sperm whales and long-finned pilot whales.

For activists and ocean lovers, the ruling also shows what targeted and committed campaigns can accomplish in a short period of time, given strategic use of legal and scientific pressure. We couldn't do this type of work without your support.

Andrew Sharpless
CEO
Oceana, www.oceana.org

 

[stpaul7]

Good it's about time!!!

 

[PtJudeRI]

I remember reading about that not too long ago.. Ees about time zos French so and so's were given their walking papers.. Ho ho ho!

~ I have no idea why I am typing with a bad French accent and talking to the computer like Maurice Chevalier....

 

[lowlands]

Uhmm, not to be too cynacle here, but I have a small observation.

For the past three years, it seems it has been illegal to use driftnets to fish in the med. The french boats, and undoubtedly other countries have been ignoring the ban and nobody has enforced it.

Now, the courts have ruled that it continues to be illegal and issued orders to pretty please stop it.

Uhmmm, what's changed? What's to keep the boats at port?

 

[bigmahi]

More Mediterranean Bluefin antics

Rome, Italy ? The most comprehensive analysis yet of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fleet shows it conservatively having twice the fishing capacity of current quotas and more than three and a half times the catch levels recommended by scientists to avoid stock collapse.

The new WWF report, Race for the last bluefin, reveals the worst culprits for Mediterranean tuna fleet overcapacity to be Turkey, Italy, Croatia, Libya, France and Spain.

?WWF?s new report uncovers the absurdity of a system long out of control, where hundreds of hi-tech boats are racing to catch a handful of fish,? says Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.

?The failure of international fisheries management has allowed a monster to thrive in the Mediterranean. Decision-makers must be bold if the bluefin is to be saved from a sorry fate ? and for any chance of a future for Mediterranean tuna fishermen.?

To keep fishing capacity within the 2008 legal catch limits imposed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the Mediterranean fleet would need to shed 229 vessels ? almost a third of the current 617-vessel fleet. Reducing fishing effort to scientifically recommended levels, meanwhile, would require the decommissioning of 283 vessels ? of which 58 among European Union Member States alone.

In Italy ? worst culprit among EU countries ? the fleet should be reduced by over 30 vessels to respect scientific recommendations, or 17 just to stay within the law. The WWF report indicates that high levels of under-reporting by Italy are also likely, as its reported catches have dramatically decreased since 1997 ? yet during the past decade the Italian fleet has increased considerably in size and power. Croatia, Spain and Libya are also under the spotlight for under-reporting.

At a minimum, the report shows Mediterranean fleets would have to fish 42,000 tonnes of tuna just to cover costs ? implying some 13,000 tonnes of illegal catch. This calculation considers only the more technically advanced vessels built in the past decade ? the full picture will be much worse yet.

?It is crazy ? the numerous new fleets are so modern and costly that fishermen are forced to fish illegally just to survive ? and worse still they are fishing themselves out of a job,? added Dr Tudela.

WWF is calling on concerned countries to dramatically reduce capacity in this fishery as a matter of urgency ahead of the 2008 fishing season that starts end-April. WWF also urges ICCAT, the body tasked with sustainably managing the fishery, to take a lead in proposing radical solutions. Until the fishery is under control and sustainably managed, WWF continues to advocate a fishing ban ? and to applaud responsible retailers, restaurants, chefs and consumer groups who are boycotting Mediterranean bluefin in increasing numbers.

?The fishery is unsustainable in every way ? economically, socially, and ecologically. When will the situation be brought under control? The time to act is now ? while there are still bluefin tuna to save in the Mediterranean,? Dr Tudela said.

In spite of the overcapacity of fleets, at least 25 new purse seine vessels were still being constructed at time of going to press.

For more information:
Gemma Parkes, WWF Communications Officer: t +39 346 387 3237, e [email protected]

 

[MakoMike]

If you lay down with dogs you'll get up with fleas. The WWF would like nothing better than to stop all fishing, especially for bluefin. Be careful who you make alliances with, and whose BS you believe.

This post edited by MakoMike 09:42 AM 04/28/2008

 

[CaptainFweddy]

The WWF are 'bunny huggers' of the highest order, are they not?

 

[MakoMatt]

CaptainFweddy wrote:
The WWF are 'bunny huggers' of the highest order, are they not?
Yes, the highest order.
From the World Wildlife Fund's website concerning their goals..... wrote:

A global leader in marine conservation, WWF is also partnering with the Scripps Institution of Oceanography to create, over the next decade, an international network of 100 marine protected areas.
100 marine protected areas, a.k.a., M.P.A.'s??????? We need the WWF like a hole in the head. I'm sure they would love to make areas like Hudson Canyon, Cholera, and a few others we fish designated as M.P.A.'s, and that way they could keep these places off limits to fishermen.

MakoMatt

This post edited by MakoMatt 10:35 AM 04/28/2008

 

[MakoMike]

If someone wants to take the time to do a search, I posted a map of all of the east coast areas the greenies would like to designate as MPAs. I'd post it again, but I don't have it on this computer. Basically the areas would encompass anyplace you might want to fish. from the nearshore reefs to the canyons.

 

[Squeri Boy]

WWF is no friend of ours! They even made wrestling change their name!!!

In Italy, it is big business and it involves the mafia over there. A friend of mine had lunch with one of the big wigs in bluefin fishing over there. There was intense private security as well as many people observing this gentleman. My buddy was a tad uneasy.