4th September 2014
Countries and regions that fish in the northern Pacific agreed Thursday to cut by half the number of young bluefin tuna they catch in a bid to double the ocean's stock over 10 years.
A four-day subcommittee meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) closed in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, where Tokyo's proposal for a drastic reduction on the 2002-2004 average catch was agreed. Participants, including South Korea, the United States, Canada, Taiwan and Japan—the world's biggest consumer of tuna—are hoping the move will help to safeguard the at-risk species. The grouping, of territories in the northern part of the vast area covered by the WCPFC will present the plan at the organisation's annual conference in December, along with a 10-year recovery plan for Pacific bluefin tuna, beginning in 2015.
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