Gibraltar Tuna Fishing Club Welcomes Removal Of Bluefin Tuna From Endangered Species List
The Gibraltar Tuna Fishing Club (‘GTFC’) has welcomed the International Union for Conservation of Nature (‘IUCN’) removal of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna from their endangered species list.
A statement continued: “In fact, the IUCN has not only removed Bluefin tuna from that list, but it has even gone a step further and classified the species as being of ‘least concern’. What this effectively means is that Atlantic Bluefin Tuna now has the same conservation status as other species found in abundance in BGTW such as mackerel/’jureles’ and grey mullet, commonly known as ‘lisas’.
“Further, regarding the Mediterranean specifically, the IUCN also announced over the weekend that the bluefin tuna population has increased by a staggering 22% in the last four decades. This means that population stocks are well above the pre-mid- 2000 population crash levels.
“Of course, this news comes as tangible proof that the GTFC’s position over the last few years has undoubtably been correct.
“The IUCN, which the Department of the Environment is a member of, has been called “the most authoritative guide to species” by GONHS and other local conservation bodies (GONHS and TNP Press Release 2 August 2021). Further, the ESG recently noted that their opposition to tuna fishing in BGTW is based on the fact that “any animal or fish deemed to be endangered by the IUCN” should not be fished.
“As such, given the removal of Bluefin tuna from the endangered list, the Club looks forward to working with these organisations to promoting the sustainable fishing of bluefin tuna in BGTW.
“The Club is currently working on proposals to put to the Department in light of this news in order to allow Gibraltarians to continue fishing bluefin tuna outside of the very limited time-period afforded to them in the summer months. One such idea would be to have an increased quota system over the summer and also allow fishermen to have monthly quotas throughout the year (as is done in other countries around the world) in order to be able to further enjoy this fishing and also provide scientific records on the abundance of this species during previously unstudied periods of the year.”
Samuel Marrache, spokesperson for the GTFC, said the following:
“The announcement made by the IUCN over the weekend that Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is no longer endangered as a species, is entirely in line with what we have been saying as a Club for years now. Gone are the days that Bluefin tuna fishing can be tarnished by labelling this species as ‘endangered’.
“The reality is that over the last few years the species has made an incredible recovery. As we have said before, any Gibraltarian with a boat can tell you that there have never been as many Bluefin tuna in our waters as there are today. In fact, anecdotally, fishermen will also tell you that other species are being decimated by Bluefin tuna. Mackerel, squid and other species commonly found in BGTW are taking a huge hit from the ever-increasing number of hungry Bluefin tuna in our waters.
“It is important to note that the GTFC has never, and will never, advocate a free for all when it comes to Bluefin tuna fishing. We strongly support the sustainable fishing of Bluefin tuna in our waters and the latest update from the IUCN demonstrates that there is scope to expand this programme over the coming years.”
