Ok, I'm ready to talk about it. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission concluded its annual meeting late Friday night (5am Sat for those calling from Europe) with no agreement on any management for next year for the...wait for it...tropical tunas. The namesake species. 1/
By this, I do not mean that they could not agree on a way forward and therefore had to roll over the existing measure. I mean that they did not even agree to that. 2/
Starting on Jan 1, there will be no management of #tuna fisheries in the entire eastern tropical Pacific. No limits on the amount that can be caught or the amount of fishing. No closed areas or seasons. No gear restrictions. No FAD management. 3/
No limits on the number of boats or their sizes. No restrictions on boats coming from other oceans to fish in #IATTC waters. There will be NO management of tropical tuna fisheries. 4/
This was a shocking development and was incredible to watch. Now, all eyes point to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, meeting this week, to adopt something and keep the entire Pacific Ocean from being unmanaged. 5/
We have got to see governments call for an emergency session of the #IATTC in order to stop this from happening on Jan 1. #tuna#management#conservation 9/9
Quick addendum: if you are working on a piece about this and want to speak to Ms. Nickson or me, please get in touch with @LWeiser. #IATTC
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Reports from the #CITESCoP18 (a meeting of countries which have ratified a treaty to protect endangered species where international trade is contributing to the endangerment) are that neither the USA nor Canada will be supporting a proposal to list shortfin mako sharks. 1/
This is despite the fact that the species is considered endangered, worldwide, by the @IUCN@IUCNRedList, a group of scientists who are best placed to make these determinations. 2/
And despite the fact that the north Atlantic population (where, you know, USA and Canada are located) is in awful shape, with the pop expected to continue to decrease until 2035, even with zero catch, and the chance at recovery on a 50-year timeline barely better than 50/50. 3/