How to manage the bluefin tuna resource in the northern Pacific is the focus of an international meeting that started Monday in Japan’s southwestern city of Fukuoka.
The new international rules will be drafted by a subcommittee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission from Sept 2 to 5. The full commission will then adopt the new rules at an annual meeting in Australia in December.
Nine countries – including China, South Korea and the United States – will attend the subcommittee meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission through Thursday, reports the Global Post.
The United States is pushing for a 25% cut to the catch of juvenile bluefin tuna up to three years old from the 2002-2004 average while Japan has proposed a 15% cut.
This comes due to the stock of adult bluefin tuna aged 4 years or older in the ocean having declined to near its lowest-ever level of 22,606 tons in 2010.
All participating countries must agree on a proposal for it to be taken to the annual WCPFC conference in Australia in December for formal approval.