Qawra Malta - July 1999

The Tuna Saga, shall we ranch or overfish?

Introducing the Bluefin

Thunnus thynnus or rather bluefin tuna (it-tonn) is one of the world’s most sought after pelagic fish. Pelagic fish are the free-swimming, open ocean species that grow to hundreds of kilograms and live many years. Not to be confused with its smaller cousin, the Spanish mackerel (it-tumbrell), bluefin is largest member of the family.

In the first year of its life, the fish weighs in at 1.8kg, reaches maturity at circa 5-8 years and can live up to 40 years of age. Some specimens measure three metres in length and weighed over 800 kg. Capable of speeds up to 72 kilometres per hour, the bluefin is a migratory species. Over a period of 35 weeks, one specimen was tracked via satellite as it roamed from Sardinia to Spain, out into the Atlantic via Gibraltar, down past the Equator and up to the Greenland. How’s that for carefree roaming.

For centuries philosophers and naturalists have speculated on the mysteries of tuna, while poets sang its praises as a food. Aristotle recorded the age and growth patterns of tuna in his treatise History on Animals and Pliny the Elder prescribed various parts of the tuna as cures for human ailments. Even the tail, the only part of the fish not consumed by the ancients, was valued, nailed over doorways to ward off evil spirits.

Despite tuna's long-standing popularity in Japan and throughout the Mediterranean region, not until the 1970s did fresh tuna become a desirable food item and significant fishery outside these areas. Although widely accepted in canned form for decades, only in recent years have fresh or frozen tuna steaks caught on for their taste and nutritive benefits. These species are firm of flesh, easy to grill and prepare, and appealing to consumers used to a steady diet of land-based proteins like beef

Japanese consumers pay top prices for quality fish for sashimi and sushi. A single, large high-quality fish can fetch between Lm10, 000 to Lm20, 000 at the Tokyo fish-market. Two thin slices of sushi served in a Japanese restaurant will set you back a staggering Lm30.

 The Scramble to Harvest

With increased consumer demand, bluefin has become big business. Despite its ability to travel at phenomenal speeds, bluefin is hounded down relentlessly in coastal and international waters by the scramble of international fishing fleets abetted by electronic devices, satellite imagery, helicopters and spotter aeroplanes, some of which, based in Malta.

More than two thirds of annual bluefin caught in the Northern Hemisphere originates from the Mediterranean, where the stock commutes for spawning and where, it becomes highly vulnerable to capture.

On an annual basis, the Mediterranean officially yields circa 20,000 metric tonnes. It is estimated that a further 8000 tonnes are caught by small operators, vessels flying flags of convenience to avoid compliance with EU or local regulations, pirate fishing vessels displaying neither flag nor name, and the larger Asian fleets complete with freezer-ships. And, this tuna-mayhem is occurring just outside our territorial waters at this very precise moment!

Walls of Death

Commercially, bluefin is caught mainly by driftnets, purse-seines or longlines.

Described by the United Nations as a highly indiscriminate and wasteful fishing method, the pelagic driftnet spans some 10-20 kilometres. Intended for swordfish and tuna, driftnets are veritable walls of death. A high percentage of the catch, comprising countless thousands of dolphins, whales and undesired species are caught needlessly. Having little commercial value, the dead by-catch is thrown back in the sea.

Despite EU regulations that drift nets should not exceed 2.5 Km in length, the Italy boasts of 650 licensed fishing vessels, each with an average net length of 10-15 km. On a daily basis Italian driftnets spread over an accumulated distance covering the entire length of the Mediterranean and back!.

The use of driftnets will be prohibited in the European Community as of 1 January 2002. Although EU fisherman will be compensated for changing their techniques, the EU is very concerned on how the fisherman will end up disposing (or rather selling) their driftnets. If these nets end up in hands of third world fisherman as opposed to being destroyed, the whole scope of the exercise will be lost.

Dolphin Fatalities

Purse-seining involves the casting of a net of circa 1 km in length and several hundred feet deep around a school of fish. Eventually the fishermen pull lines to choke off the bottom of the seine like a drawstring purse and haul up the catch.

The problem with this system is that wherever one finds an aggregation of tuna, there is also other non-targeted species, most notably entire schools of dolphins, Dolphins delight in feeding on tuna juveniles. More often than not, purse-seine fisherman spot tuna schools by the visible presence of dolphin schools swimming and splashing over them. Indeed it is not uncommon for the mammals to suffocate during the haul, pregnant females to abort their foetuses, and others crushed in the net winches.

As of the late eighties, consumers started boycotting canned tuna unless earmarked dolphin friendly. In October 1995, the US and 11 other fishing nations signed the Panama Agreement with a view to upholding the dolphin safe laws including the presence of an independent observer on the fishing vessel to ensure that no dolphin died in the tuna harvest.

Pelagic Longlines

The long-line method (conz) involves several kilometers of continuous mainline supported by float lines, with regularly spaced leaders that end with baited hooks. Longlining is one of the most conservative methods of harvesting fish because it combines the quality afforded by "one-at-a-time-handling" fishing methods with the conservation and efficiency of the "hook-and-line".

This method is commonly used by Maltese commercial fisherman for bluefin tuna and swordfish. When compared to driftnets and purse-seining, the long-line method results in lower hauls but with less by-catch of un-targeted species. As every fish is hauled in the vessel one at a time, the condition of the fish is eminently suited for the Japanese market.

Mediterranean Bluefin Fishery

Sadly enough the situation is not so rosy on the high seas around us. The Mediterranean Sea presents a coastline of circa 46000 km with a population of 150 million people living in its catchment area. Suffice it to mention that the Mediterranean takes an average of 80 years to flush itself out into the ocean with the result that pollution is now taking its severe toll.

Generating the will needed to establish effective co-operation for the conservation and management of fisheries, especially in the Mediterranean, is no simple task. There are many obstacles such as the large number of coastal states as well as the economic, social political and cultural differences amongst them

Reckless commercial fishing, or rather, over-fishing coupled with the damage caused by pollution is giving rise to reduced overall commercial catches. Bluefin tuna is but one overexploited species in a planet where million of tons of fish are exterminated needlessly on an annual basis because they are accidentally caught by commercial fisheries.

The Ultimate Political Fish

Against this backdrop of overall dwindling harvests and reckless exploitation of the seas, the World Wildlife Fund has reported that the world’s largest nations have a massive fishing fleet over-capacity.

In February 1999, members of FAO have agreed to develop plans to address a 30% fleet over-capacity and control their distant-water fleets by no later than the year 2005.

The control of distant water fleets is of paramount importance to our country because it is not uncommon to encounter tuna vessels (or ships) originating from as distant a country as Korea or Japan just outside our territorial waters.

The EU is also stepping in with some very urgent measures to curb the overexploitation of the seas, especially the Mediterranean. There is an urgency to re-build stocks, and tuna is no exception.

Often dubbed as the `ultimate political fish’, the migratory bluefin is fished extensively around the globe. The implementation of international bluefin corrective measures assumes gargantuan proportions.

In 1995, the Fisheries committee of FAO prohibited the capture of bluefin juveniles in the first year of their life, i.e., up to 1.8 Kg. Furthermore FAO stipulated that no fishing vessel may capture the species under 6.4 kg except by way of incidental capture which must not exceed 15% of numbers landed in that particular catch. Limitation and reductions are now in place to reduce every nation’s quota of the annual bluefin harvest. Given half a chance, bluefin stocks will rebuild themselves fast because the fish spawns prolifically. A mature female might lays millions of eggs annually. This is the only positive aspect of the bluefin saga.

Bluefin Ranching and Farming

After discussing the dismal situation facing the bluefin in the wild and the sad scramble occurring during its harvesting, one cannot but mention the current proposals to farming the species in Malta. These proposals make sense.

As our Islands are small by comparison to the immensity magnitude of the seas around us, making sure that a good portion of our food needs and food exports are met by aquaculture or fish farming constitutes responsible planning. In the case of bluefin, the culture would probably start off as "ranching" of tunas, i.e., capturing the live juveniles, penning and fattening them before the final processing of the product, resulting in more meat per fish.

This method was pioneered by the Japanese. There are tuna ranches in America, Australia, Mexico, Croatia and Spain. If this country manages to successfully spawn the stock, then, bluefin may repeat in the footsteps of bass and bream farming where the supply of farm-raised fish is relieving pressure from traditional fisheries. Additionally, the off-season supply and marketing of bluefin makes far better utilisation of this overexploited resource than the current mad scramble o catch specimens in the mating season, the majority of which captured before spawning rakes place.

If, the entrepreneurs proposing this venture indicate a willingness to conduct this ranching in a professional and socially responsible manner, i.e., with minimal damage the surrounding environment, and if they undertake to spare no expense in researching the possibility to spawning the species, then, I humbly feel that this country should accede to their requests.

Malcolm Caire

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