David Schalit

Session 10, Talk 1, 20/1/16 @ 1130 hrs

Demand for bluefin is a constant. Bluefin fleets have “built-up" over decades to meet this seemingly unlimited demand.  Now, it is the responsibility of fishery managers to control catch in order to address the negative effects on these fish stocks from decades of overharvesting.  This already difficult process is made even more problematic by the fact that these fleets are highly industrialized, very expensive to own and operate and have harvesting capacity that, in certain cases, greatly exceed the present allowed fishing quota.  Fleets can be expected to bring tremendous pressure to bear on their fishery managers to forestall or, at the very least, slow down this process.  We take a look at the industrialization of our bluefin fisheries and ask if the present composition of these fleets will meet our conservation needs for the long term.

Contact:  D. Schalit, American Bluefin Tuna Association, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.