Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

1
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

• By
• Varian Bosch, Sam Lincoln, Celia Smith, Michael
  Schillawski, and Keith Casadei

2
Objective

• To determine what weaknesses exist in the current
  institutional framework of the Bluefin tuna
  fishery management

3
The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

• Up to 15 feet long
• Up to 1,506 lbs
• Little known about life history
• Highly migratory
• Two Populations
• Mediterranean
• Gulf of Mexico

4
Problem

• Population crash
• 90 reduction since 1950s
• Possibility of extinction
• Continued overfishing
• Lax regulations and enforcement

5
Current Institutional Framework
6
The Market

• Cooking
• Japanese Sushi
• High Price
• Luxury good
• 172,400 for a fish
• Inelastic
• No matter the price people will still pay for it

7
International Bodies

• ICCAT recommends
• Quota catch limits
• Total
• Divides quota to member states
• Size limits
• ICCAT conducts bi-annual stock assessments to
  determine their recommendations
• Countries typically amend the recommendations

8
Community

• Governments
• Allocated quota subdivided by
• Nation (Europe)
• Technique
• Enforces quotas
• Monitors fleets and ports
• Insures and maintains accurate records of
• Catch
• Technique
• Vessel
• Port of landing

9
Community

• NGOs
• Research Organizations
• Tag a Giant
• Research life biology
• Sports fishermen
• Push for conservation of stocks and policy
  changes
• Conservation Agencies
• WWF, WCS, and others
• Pushing for policy change

10
Implementation Problems

• Highly migratory
• International coordination
• Illegal and unreported catches, driven by high
  market demand
• Data collection

11
Solutions

• Continued international cooperation
• Boycott
• Heavy tax
• Stricter regulations
• Stricter enforcement
• Farming
• Moratorium

12
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
Questions?

• By
• Varian Bosch, Sam Lincoln, Celia Smith, Michael
  Schillawski, and Keith Casadei