Nations at southern bluefin tuna meeting stop short of adopting new seabird protections
Seabird protections drew debate at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), held Oct. 5-8 in Brussels. The eight-member multilateral body that manages the stock has long struggled to curb seabird deaths caused by longline fishing targeting southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) across several oceans. This year’s meeting […]
Seabird protections were a topic of debate at the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) in Brussels from October 5-8. The eight-member body manages the southern bluefin tuna stock and had previously struggled to curb seabird deaths caused by longline fishing. Progress was made by agreeing on 13 priority seabird species for conservation efforts and designating high-risk areas for them.
However, due to reluctance among some members, the commission did not adopt new mandatory protections, including tighter seabird bycatch mitigation requirements. Oliver Yates, head of BirdLife International's marine program, stated that identifying high-risk areas was a step forward, but the failure to adopt management actions was problematic.
The CCSBT is one of many regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) worldwide, each managing different fish stocks.
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