July 2011 MAINE COASTAL NEWS Page 11. Commercial Fishing News


NOAA FINDS BLUEFIN TUNA SHOULD NOT BE ON ENDANGERED LIST Agency remains concerned; will revisit


decision with new science


After an extensive scientific review, NOAA announced today that Atlantic blue- fin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act.


NOAA has committed to revisit this decision by early 2013, when more informa- tion will be available about the effects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill, as well as a new stock assessment from the scientific arm of the International Commission for the Con- servation of Atlantic Tunas, the international body charged with the fish’s management and conservation.


NOAA is formally designating both the western Atlantic and eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stocks of bluefin tuna as “species of concern” under the Endangered Species Act. This places the species on a watchlist for concerns about its status and threats to the species.


“NOAA is concerned about the status of bluefin tuna, including the potential ef- fects of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill on the western stock of Atlantic bluefin, which spawns in the Gulf of Mexico,” said Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., under secretary of com- merce for oceans and atmosphere and NOAA administrator. “We will revisit the status of the species in early 2013 when we will have a new stock assessment and information from the Natural Resource Damage Assessment of the oil spill. We will also take action in the interim if new information indicates the need for greater protection.”


NOAA’s status review, released with today’s decision and peer-reviewed by The Center for Independent Experts, indicates that based on the best available information and assuming countries comply with the bluefin tuna fishing quotas established by ICCAT, both the western and eastern Atlan- tic stocks are not likely to become extinct. The status review team also looked at the best available information on the potential effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill on the future abundance of the western stock of bluefin tuna and found that it did not substantially alter the results of the extinc-


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tion risk analysis. While the NOAA team found that the presently available informa- tion did not favor listing, it also recognized the need to continue to monitor the potential long-term effects of the spill on bluefin tuna and the overall ecosystem. New scientific information is expected in a 2012 bluefin tuna stock assessment and as part of the Natural Resources Damage Assessment of the Deepwater Horizon BP oil spill.


“Based on careful scientific review, we have decided the best way to ensure the long- term sustainability of bluefin tuna is through international cooperation and strong domes- tic fishery management,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant NOAA administrator for NOAA’s Fisheries Service. “The United States will continue to be a leader in advocating science- based quotas at ICCAT, full compliance with these quotas and other management mea- sures to ensure the long-term viability of this and other important fish stocks.” NOAA conducted the status review of Atlantic bluefin after determining on Sept. 21, 2010, that a petition for listing under the ESA from a national environmental organization warranted a scientific status review. To read the status review report on At- lantic bluefin tuna, the federal register notice and other information on bluefin tuna, please go to: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/stories/ 2011/05/bluefin_tuna.html


Snowe Commends NOAA Decision Regarding Bluefin Tuna


WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Olym- pia J. Snowe, Ranking Member of the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmosphere, Fisheries and Coast Guard, today com- mended the National Oceanic and Atmo- spheric Administration (NOAA) for its deci- sion to keep the bluefin tuna off the endan- gered species list. Senator Snowe was in-


formed of the decision this morning during a phone call with Dr. Jane Lubchenco, NOAA Administrator. Had the species been listed as endangered, it would have imposed faulty and economically disastrous restrictions on Maine’s fishermen who are working to re- build the bluefin population.


Senator Snowe said: “I am pleased NOAA has made the right, scientifically sound decision with regards to bluefin tuna. Listing the bluefin as threatened or endan- gered would have jeopardized the livelihood of Maine’s bluefin tuna fishermen. Addition- ally, such a listing would have unilaterally penalized U.S. fishermen, particularly the hard-working, responsible fishermen of Maine, who have been properly managing this valuable resource. For years, U.S. fisher- men have led the world in efforts to conserve highly migratory fish stocks and this deci- sion reaffirms their commitment to re-build these stocks. I commend and thank NOAA Administrator, Dr. Lubchenco for following this course of action.”


BACKGROUND: Senator Snowe is a leading advocate for U.S. fishermen and has consistently supported management of tuna stocks through the International Commis- sion on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) process rather than through an Endangered Species Act listing. Prior to the November 2010 ICCAT meeting in Paris, France, Senator Snowe sent a letter to the NOAA Administrator, co-signed by nine of


her colleagues from the New England delega- tion. The letter asked that the U.S. delegation to ICCAT focus its attention on pursuing aggressive action ensuring all nations’ com- pliance with and enforcement of ICCAT poli- cies, reliance on science to drive management decisions, and implementation of policies that incentivize actions to ensure a sustain- able future for all ICCAT species, particularly Atlantic bluefin tuna.


In 2010, a proposal for a ban on interna- tional trade of bluefin was considered at the Convention on International Trade in Endan- gered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), but was not adopted. NOAA ac- cepted a petition by the Center for Biological Diversity in San Francisco in September 2010 to review whether the bluefin meets the list- ing criteria under the Endangered Species Act.


Atlantic bluefin tuna is the highest val- ued Atlantic tuna species in the market. The United States is responsible for almost 5% of the global Atlantic bluefin tuna catch (2009). Over half of the U.S. commercial catch is exported to foreign markets, primarily Japan. U.S. landings of bluefin have declined steadily from 2000-2008, due in large part to increasingly strict management provisions designed to protect this valuable species. In 2000, US fishermen caught over 1100 metric tons of bluefin worth more than $19.1 million. By 2008, those figures had declined to just over 300 metric tons valued at $4.7 million.


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