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Washington, D.C. --- U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), a senior member of the House Fisheries and Oceans Subcommittee, announced that the U.S. House of Representatives last night passed his resolution urging the U.S. to take a strong stance in seeking compliance from countries that are in violation of conservation and management recommendations, which were adopted for Atlantic bluefin tuna and other species by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and to pursue strengthened conservation and management measures.
In 1981, after recognizing the decline of bluefin tuna stocks resulting from years of intense fishing pressure, the U.S. and other nations fishing in the Western Atlantic Ocean adopted and fully implemented restrictive conservation and management measures to relieve pressure on these stocks. Despite adherence to these recommendations, bluefin stocks continued to decline, prompting the development and full implementation of a science-based recovery plan for Western Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks.
"Bluefin Tuna is one of the most important fisheries in the world," Pallone said. "Today Congress has sent a strong message to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas that the continued overfishing of the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna fishery is unacceptable."
The United States, along with 42 other nations, is party to the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The Convention, signed in 1966, established the ICCAT to coordinate international research and develop conservation and management recommendations for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Currently, the U.S. delegation is in Antalya, Turkey for the 20th regular meeting of the ICCAT.
Pallone said he hopes that House passage of this resolution will encourage U.S. action at the meeting to address the issue of non-compliance by nations fishing for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea.
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