ICCAT Carryover Briefing 191110

GREENPEACE COMMENTS ON THE MEDITERRANEAN BLUEFIN TUNA
CARRY-OVER AS REPORTED IN ICCAT DOCUMENT COC-303/2010
17th Special Meeting of the ICCAT Commission
18 November 2010
According to data compiled by the ICCAT Secretariat in document COC-303/2010, 1 unsold bluefin tuna
amounting to as much as 10,200 tonnes could still be kept alive in cages in Mediterranean tuna farms at
the start of the 2010 Mediterranean bluefin fishing season. This figure is close to the whole quota for the
species this year, when the allocated Eastern bluefin tuna Total Allowable Catch has been 13,500 tonnes.
Table 7 of Document COC-303/2010 shows the annual carry-over declaration that ICCAT contracting
parties must transmit annually to the Commission in cases where, at the beginning of a fishing season,
their farms are not empty and tuna caught in previous years are still kept in cages. This table reflects
therefore the amount of bluefin tuna caught in previous years which has not been harvested by the start of
the 2010 bluefin tuna purse seine fishing season. The table lists high amounts of tuna carry-overs since
2007.
We understand that the amounts referred to in table 7 correspond to the weight of tuna at the time of
caging, although this is not clear. If this is the case, the weight of the tuna in those cages at present must
be calculated taking into account the increase in weight during the farming process. Whether the amounts
correspond to present weights or weights at the time of catch of tuna is unclear from the document or the
relevant paragraph of ICCAT Recommendation 09-11. 2 In the tables below we present the total amounts of
tuna per year as reflected in the original table (first column), as would correspond to the weight of tuna if a
conservative 14% annual growth of the tuna kept in cages was applied (second column), and as would
correspond to a recently accepted 25% annual growth rate (third column).
The results of the exercise are shocking. While most contracting parties participating in the bluefin tuna
fishery seem to be advocating for completely non-precautionary fishing quotas, thousands of tonnes of
bluefin tuna are kept in cages because there is no market for them. It is Greenpeace's strong view that
putting at risk the recovery of an endangered species while there are thousands of unsold tonnes of bluefin
swimming in cages is simply unacceptable. A reading of ICCAT Recommendation 09-11 on a Bluefin Tuna
Catch Documentation Program would seem to imply that it is expected that all or most bluefin tuna is
harvested within a year, since paragraph 6 reads:
“Farm CPCs shall ensure that bluefin tuna are harvested from farms in the same year in which they
were caught, or before the beginning of the purse seiners fishing period, if harvested in the
following year.”
However, this is clearly not the norm. Between 7,100 and 10,200 tonnes of bluefin were swimming in
Mediterranean cages before the 2010 fishing season started, most of which was kept in Croatia (up to
4,400 tonnes), Malta (up to 2,800 tonnes) and Turkey (up to 1,900 tonnes). It should be highlighted that the
majority of that tuna (between 4,000 and 5,100 tonnes), corresponds to tuna caught in 2009 which hadn't
yet been harvested at the beginning of the 2010 bluefin tuna fishing season. The European Union for
instance, would have, according to these figures, between 2,400 and 3,400 tonnes in tuna farms in Malta,
Spain and Greece.3 The upper limit of this quantity represents over 40% of the European quota in 2010.
1 Doc. No. 303/2010. Secretariat's report to the Compliance Committee. 12 November 2010.
2 Paragraph 6 of ICCAT Recommendation 09-11 reads: “[...] In the case where harvesting operations are not
completed before this date, farm CPCs shall complete and transmit an annual carry-over declaration to the
ICCAT Secretariat within 15 days after this date. Such declaration shall include: quantities (expressed in kg)
and number of fish intended to be carried over; year of catch; size composition; flag CPC, ICCAT number and
name of the catching vessel;references of the BCD corresponding to the catches carried over; name and
ICCAT number of the fattening facility; cage number; and information on harvested quantities (expressed in
kg), when completed.”
3 Between 1,890 and 2,800 tonnes in Malta, 350 to 468 in Spain and 150 to 190 tonnes in Greece.
Information concerning annual carryover Rec 09-11
By CPC
Year Weight (t)
Growth 14% Growth 25%
Croatia
2007
226.89
336.15
443.14
Croatia
2007
9.60
14.22
18.75
Croatia
2008
126.92
164.95
198.31
Croatia
2008
852.47
1107.87
1331.98
Croatia
2008
355.51
462.02
555.48
Croatia
2008
271.52
352.87
424.25
Croatia
2009
178.59
203.59
223.24
Croatia
2009
323.53
368.82
404.41
Croatia
2009
360.88
411.40
451.10
Croatia
2009
173.31
197.57
216.64
Croatia
2009
164.39
187.40
205.49
3043.61
3806.87
4472.80
España
2008
67.91
88.26
106.11
España
2009
290.01
330.61
362.51
357.92
418.87
468.62
Greece
2009
155.32
177.06
194.15
155.32
177.06
194.15
Malta
2007
576.03
853.41
1125.06
Malta
2007
3.00
4.44
5.86
Malta
2008
13.70
17.80
21.41
Malta
2008
77.25
100.39
120.70
Malta
2009
761.23
867.80
951.54
Malta
2009
427.37
487.20
534.21
Malta
2009
18.30
20.86
22.88
Malta
2009
16.35
18.64
20.44
1893.23
2370.56
2802.09
Tunisia
2009
59.02
67.28
73.78
Tunisia
2009
196.19
223.66
245.24
Tunisia
2009
55.48
63.25
69.35
310.69
354.19
388.36
Turkey
2006
10.11
17.08
24.68
Turkey
2008
9.96
12.94
15.56
Turkey
2008
89.02
115.69
139.09
Turkey
2008
23.61
30.68
36.89
Turkey
2008
243.98
317.08
381.22
Turkey
2008
109.47
142.27
171.05
Turkey
2009
39.80
45.37
49.75
Turkey
2009
251.99
287.27
314.99
Turkey
2009
29.44
33.56
36.80
Turkey
2009
30.80
35.11
38.50
Turkey
2009
433.88
494.62
542.35
Turkey
2009
121.40
138.40
151.75
1393.46
1670.07
1902.63
GRAND TOTAL
7154.23
8797.62
10228.66
Information concerning annual carryover Rec 09-11
By year
Year Weight (t)
Growth 14% Growth 25%
Turkey
2006
10.11
17.08
24.68
2006 Total
10.11
17.08
24.68
Croatia
2007
226.89
336.15
443.14
Croatia
2007
9.6
14.22
18.75
Malta
2007
576.03
853.41
1125.06
Malta
2007
3
4.44
5.86
2007 Total
815.52
1208.23
1592.81
Croatia
2008
126.92
164.95
198.31
Croatia
2008
852.47
1107.87
1331.98
Croatia
2008
355.51
462.02
555.48
Croatia
2008
271.52
352.87
424.25
España
2008
67.91
88.26
106.11
Malta
2008
13.7
17.80
21.41
Malta
2008
77.25
100.39
120.70
Turkey
2008
9.96
12.94
15.56
Turkey
2008
89.02
115.69
139.09
Turkey
2008
23.61
30.68
36.89
Turkey
2008
243.98
317.08
381.22
Turkey
2008
109.47
142.27
171.05
2008 Total
2241.32
2912.82
3502.06
Croatia
2009
178.59
203.59
223.24
Croatia
2009
323.53
368.82
404.41
Croatia
2009
360.88
411.40
451.10
Croatia
2009
173.31
197.57
216.64
Croatia
2009
164.39
187.40
205.49
España
2009
290.01
330.61
362.51
Greece
2009
155.32
177.06
194.15
Malta
2009
761.23
867.80
951.54
Malta
2009
427.37
487.20
534.21
Malta
2009
18.3
20.86
22.88
Malta
2009
16.35
18.64
20.44
Tunisia
2009
59.02
67.28
73.78
Tunisia
2009
196.19
223.66
245.24
Tunisia
2009
55.48
63.25
69.35
Turkey
2009
39.8
45.37
49.75
Turkey
2009
251.99
287.27
314.99
Turkey
2009
29.44
33.56
36.80
Turkey
2009
30.8
35.11
38.50
Turkey
2009
433.88
494.62
542.35
Turkey
2009
121.4
138.40
151.75
2009 Total
4087.28
4659.50
5109.10
GRAND TOTAL
7154.23
8797.62
10228.66