Two thousand years ago, the Roman legions that conquered southern Europe relied heavily upon dried bluefin tuna. Unfortunately, this species of tuna, despite having survived the overwhelming demands of the Roman conquest may have finally met its match in the global appetite for sushi. The bluefin tuna can weigh as much as 1,500 lbs and can live as long as 40 years, making it a popular species choice for this purpose.
If environmentalists and marine scientists are correct in their prediction, the remaining stocks of bluefin tuna in the world, 90 percent of which are located in the Mediterranean could be on the verge of extinction, according to a marine biologist named Alain Fonteneau. Fonteneau is a marine biologist for the government run Institute for Development Research in Montpellier, France. According to Fonteneau, if we do not do anything to save the blue fin tuna now, we will fish the last of them out of the Mediterranean in five years time.
But not everyone seems willing to heed this warning. A week long international meeting to save the species ended in surprising arguments on Monday night, as officials in Europe thwarted a proposal by environmental groups and the United States to impose a partial moratorium on the fishing of blue fin tuna, drastically reducing catch quotas in the process.
Officials from 46 members of the ICCAT (International Consortium for the Conservation of the Atlantic Tunas) spent days behind closed doors in Marrakesh, Morocco, battling over a proposed rescue plan intended for the species. Several smaller ICCAT members like Panama and Guatemala had initially backed a proposal that was supported by environmental groups and the United States to halt all blue fin fishing for nine months out of the year, cracking down hard on anyone who should violate this moratorium. However, European officials eventually persuade them to adopt a reduced quota of 22,000 tons instead, for 2009, and then 19,950 tons in 2011, which will represent a sharp drop from the 61,000 tons last year, and this year's quota of 29,000. Unfortunately, this is still far above the 15,000 tons that marine scientists are advising to be the limit that can be fished without causing the entire species to go extinct.
The meeting has become quite a disaster, according to Sergi Tudela of the World Wildlife Fund, because many of the measures that are being adopted are going to drive the blue fin tuna to complete collapse, but the European officials do not seem to agree, contending that their quota plan was the best possible deal because it won the backing of the Mediterranean Arab countries, perceiving the ICCAT as something controlled by the major fishing powers in the world, including Canada, the United States, Japan and Europe.
Photo Credits: 1
Related Posts -
Don Pedro Lake Don Pedro Lake is Located in: La Grange, CA Phone: (209) 852-2396 About the Lake: Don Pedro Lake is a lake that is rich in history. It is not crowded and it's location makes it perfect for a quick getaway. With more than 500 campsites, two full service marinas and...... -
Lake Whiskeytown, Redding, California Lake Whiskeytown is located in Shasta Trinity National Forest in Redding, California Phone - (530) 246 1225 (Visitor Center), (530) 242 3400 (Park Headquarters), (530) 246 5154 (Fax) Is boating allowed? Boating is absolutely allowed at Lake Whiskeytown. Boating is just one of numerous popular activities that have been made...... -
Salmon Anglers in Puget Sound Salmon anglers in the Puget Sound may be able to take advantage of longer seasons and numerous additional opportunities for fishing in 2009, but they will have to release the wild fish that they catch. The State Department of Fish and Wildlife recently released a proposal for a sweeping increase...... -
Lake Oroville Lake Oroville is located in: Oroville, CA Phone: (530) 538-2200 About the Lake: Lake Oroville is one of the best places to find salmon in California, but the lake is also stocked with numerous other kinds of fish. The lake covers a surface area of 15,000 acres...... -
Lake Nacimiento Lake Nacimiento is located in: Bradley, CA Phone: (805) 238-2376 About the Lake: With 165 miles of shoreline and the fact that this is the only place to find white bass in the entire state, Lake Nacimiento has earned its reputation as one of the finest boating......
Related Websites -
How to Create Alternative Income If you're currently living paycheck to paycheck, or you would just like to have a little more financial security, the key is creating alternative forms of income. While to many people this means getting a second job, there are actually easier ways that you can start bringing in more money...... -
Preview for the ATP Cincinnati Masters, to be held in Mason Ohio The U.S. Open tennis series is about to kick off week five in Cincinnati, sending the tour to another humid and hot excursion through hard clay courts throughout North America. Now that Montreal is in the books, the ATP boys are going to have to take on the challenge of...... -
Green Building Materials Green Construction is the practice of building in a way that increases efficiency of the use of materials like energy, water and other materials and resources while reducing the impact on human health and the environment during the process of building through more efficient design, site selection, construction, operation, maintenance...... -
Sam Querry Manages to Defeat Carsten Ball During Final Querry has managed to win a second title on the ATP Tour, and now he is saying that he also plans to come back next year for the same tournament. At least next year during the LA Tennis Open's draw, the defending champion is going to be present. Sam Querrey...... -
Van Pelt Beats Mallinger in a Sudden Death Battle at the US Bank Bo Van Pelt finally managed to take his first PGA tour event win, though he may never be given a chance to defend it. He managed to win against John Mallinger during the second playoff hole, allowing him to take the win in the U.S. Bank Championship on Sunday after......
- Switzerland Europe Coins: World Coins & Paper Money
- Denmark Europe Coins: World Coins & Paper Money
- Roman Decorative Collectible Brands Decorative Collectibles Collectibles
- Plate Blocks/Multiples United States Stamps
- 1940-49 United States Lobby Cards Movie Memorabilia Entertainment Memorabilia
Are you planning a vacation to California? Looking for a better way to fish the more than 1000 lakes throughout this state? You'll find everything you need to know inside The Complete Guide to California Fishing! Click here to download the 30 page the 100% FREE eBook "Fishing in California."
If you prefer a real book, this book can be bought as a paperback from LuLu.com for $10.93.
Categories:
Boating, News, tuna
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment