(16-06-09) While the fishing bluefin tuna is just closed for most of the purse seine boats, Oceana gets evidence of illegal fishing of bluefin tuna in Italy and Turkey, an activity that will go unpunished due to the absence of effective control by the authorities.

    The international marine conservation organization Oceana has documented illegal catches and discharges of tons of bluefin tuna, which follow one to another with impunity in the southern Tyrrhenian, one of the main breeding areas of this species in the Mediterranean.

    In this times the closure of bluefin tuna fishery came into effect for most industrial purse seine boats, except those who have requested additional days by the bad weather. The fishing season has been marked by lawlessness and lack of transparency. Oceana says the Italian and Turkish fleets are the main protagonists of overfishing.

    The international marine conservation organization warns that the end of the season will not finish the illegal catch of bluefin tuna. On May 21, Oceana observers witnessed illegal unloading of 20 large bluefin tuna at the port of Porticello (Sicily). They were about 2 tons in total caught by various long line boats. Neither the port nor the vessels were authorized to unload bluefin tuna.

    According to Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe, “This is not an isolated phenomenon. It happens every day and with total impunity in all ports of the south Tyrrhenian. Most of them are not authorized to unload tuna. This season and only with very specific actions made by the Coast Guard, more than 55 tons of this species that had been illegally caught have been seized at ports of southern Italy as Porticello, Sant'Agata or Cetraro."

HUNDREDS OF BOATS FISH ILLEGALLY, WITH NO CONTROL

    In addition to the fence, in the southern ports of the Tyrrhenian there are more than 1,000 boats that have licenses for long line fishing on the surface. They are fishing in one of the main areas of the Mediterranean where bluefin tuna breeds. Many of these boats also use illegal driftnets. Only 29 of these ships have long been allowed to catch this species. With no control, these boats could continue illegally fishing until the end of the season.

    Moreover, Turkey announced in mid-May that they were against the quota assigned to them. Turkish seine fleet, the largest in the Mediterranean, is not being controlled. Many of the unauthorized vessels are in ports, have nets and could fish at any time. Oceana observers witnessed at the Turkish port Alanya how some of these vessels were also illegally fishing with drift nets albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) and little tunny (Euthynnus aletteratus) and other tunas.

    Xavier Pastor says: "The lack of control in bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean is an irrefutable fact, and it is not limited to catch in the fence. The states members of ICCAT, particularly the EU, have shown that they are absolutely unable to guarantee that the legislation is obeyed. It is the trigger for the current situation, since the authorized quota of 22,000 tonnes exceeds the scientific advice which is 15,000. The current context has only one answer: the closure of the fishery until the population of bluefin tuna shows signs of recovery."