OCEANA OPENING STATEMENT 17th ICCAT Special Meeting of the ...

OCEANA OPENING STATEMENT 17th ICCAT Special Meeting of the Commission November 19, 2010 Participants of the Second Joint Tuna RFMOs Meeting stressed “the need for tuna RFMOs to operate on the basis of a sound mandate which foresees the implementation of modern concepts of fisheries management, including science-based marine governance, ecosystem-based management, conservation of marine biodiversity and the precautionary approach.” Joint Tuna RFMO Meeting Report, San Sebastián, 2009. “A simple reading of the state of the stocks under ICCAT’s purview would suggest that ICCAT has failed in its mandate as a number of these key fish stocks are well below MSY.” Report of the independent performance review of ICCAT, 2009. While ICCAT was established to ensure the conservation of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean, various species have suffered years of neglect by fisheries managers and ICCAT Contracting Parties have not complied with the Convention objectives. Although substantial management measures have been adopted, cases such as the north Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has been called an “international disgrace”, and pelagic sharks and Mediterranean swordfish, which have been overexploited but remain unmanaged, undermine the credibility of the Commission. Relentless overfishing has decimated North Atlantic bluefin tuna in both the Eastern and Western stocks. Despite clear scientific warnings, ICCAT Contracting Parties have repeatedly failed to restore and properly manage these stocks. Moreover, highly migratory sharks, many of which have high levels of risk of overfishing, are caught in ICCAT fisheries both as targeted and incidental catch, but have yet to be managed as required by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. ICCAT is facing a crucial moment as its performance is being watched by the world. In recent years, we have seen management proposals weakened and volleyed back and forth between international institutions. Earlier this year bluefin tuna and eight species of sharks were denied protection by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), most over political reasons rather than biological ones. Over the course of the CITES meeting, delegates from numerous countries called on ICCAT to improve management of highly migratory species. The decision taken by CITES not to include bluefin tuna in its Appendix I and various sharks in its Appendix II accentuates the responsibility and urgency for ICCAT to properly manage these species in the Atlantic Ocean. Thus this meeting of the Commission is pivotal. It offers an opportunity to end over exploitation and illegal fishing, establish science based and precautionary catch limits, and protect the species most at-risk through measures prohibiting retention or protecting spawning grounds. This meeting is an opportunity for Contracting Parties to show that ICCAT is still relevant and is willing and able to manage highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. This meeting will not only determine the future of endangered species, which are important to maintaining healthy oceans and fall under ICCAT responsibilities, but also of the future of ICCAT itself. Oceana calls on the ICCAT Contracting Parties to reverse historical trends and immediately move towards precautionary fisheries management, respecting both the Convention’s objectives and the new course of actions committed to in various forums. We strongly urge ICCAT Contracting Parties to adopt the following measures: Atlantic bluefin tuna For the Eastern stock: 1) Close industrial purse seine fishing until the bluefin tuna stock recovers and full compliance with management recommendations can be ensured.

2) All Mediterranean spawning grounds should be protected as no-take zones for bluefin tuna, along with adoption of a catch level (TAC) that ensures recovery of this species in accordance with scientific advice and existing international commitments For the Western stock: 1) Suspend the bluefin tuna fishery until management establishes science-based catch levels to recover the stock and protect spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico.

Pelagic sharks 1) Prohibit retention of endangered and vulnerable shark species, including oceanic whitetip, hammerhead, and common thresher sharks. 2) Establish science-based and precautionary catch limits for other commonly caught species in ICCAT fisheries, starting with shortfin mako and blue sharks. 3) Improve the ICCAT finning ban by requiring that sharks be landed with their naturally fins attached.

Mediterranean swordfish 1) Adopt a sustainable management plan intended to recover the stock to MSY including, amongst other things, the following measures: o A Mediterranean catch limit in accordance with scientific advice , o By-catch mitigation measures to prevent the capture of juvenile fish and endangered species o Fleet capacity reduction plans o Deterrent measures for those Mediterranean states that continue to harbour illegal driftnets.

Sea turtles 1) Require collection and submission of data on sea turtle interactions in ICCAT fisheries. 2) Mandate carrying of sea turtle dehooking gear and the removal of fishing gear from hooked or entangled sea turtles to increase survival rates. 3) Adopt fishing techniques that reduce harm to sea turtles including use of circle hooks with whole fish bait in longline fisheries and prohibitions on encircling sea turtles with purse seines.