U.S. fleet irresponsibly increases bigeye tuna catch in Pacific

U.S. bigeyes too big for sustainable plate: Although scientists are urging an immediate reduction in bigeye tuna catches to protect the species, and most nations are planning on reducing their bigeye catches by 10% per year, the U.S.-flagged fleet (which partly consists of recently re-flagged vessels from Taiwan) is planning on increasing its catch. It will do this by upping the number of ships in the fleet as well as the number of fishing days. Strictly speaking, these practices are in line with the 1988 South Pacific Tuna Treaty, which specifies a maximum number of ships and number of fishing days — but not a catch limit. Obviously, the actions fly in the face of scientific recommendations. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch gives bigeye tuna from the Pacific an Avoid rating, citing concerns of dwindling populations. (Environmental Science and Technology)

Comments

By Cherie on July 10th, 2009 at 2:43 pm

Wtf? Terrible. Way to go US...and by that I mean- way to defy any semblance of good sense.

Cherie
http://cheriepicked.com