Now is Not the Time to Sell-Out Our Fisherman

U.S. Senator Olympia J. Snowe

On November 18th, during a meeting of the International Commission on Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Paris, France, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Administrator Dr. Jane Lubchenco asserted NOAA’s position that a reduction in the total allowable catch of bluefin tuna is warranted. Specifically, she referred to both the heavily overfished eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock — caught mainly by European and African nations—and the western Atlantic stock which is harvested primarily by the U.S. and Canada.

While data has shown that the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean stock has been consistently and excessively over-exploited, the most recent scientific report released by ICCAT’s Standing Committee on Research and Statistics in September 2010, shows the western stock is in far better shape, thanks largely to strict management and conservation measures enforced by the U.S. and adhered to by domestic fishermen.

By suggesting that reductions in total allowable catch of bluefin tuna are warranted in both the eastern and western Atlantic, NOAA is effectively selling out U.S. fishermen who for years have adhered to strict catch limits and conservation measures now proven to have boosted the health of the bluefin population. Our fishermen operate under the strictest management regime in the world, and their sacrifices are largely responsible for the optimism found in the most recent scientific assessment for western Atlantic bluefin. The U.S. fishery lacks the rampant over-harvest, under-reporting, and tuna ranching operations that have led to such a dramatic decline in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. To suggest our fishermen should be punished for their actions to rebuild and sustain this vital species is uncalled for and inappropriate.

Prior to the comments Dr. Lubchenco made in France, I sent a letter to the NOAA Administrator on November 18th, co-signed by nine of my colleagues from the New England delegation, asking that U.S. representatives at ICCAT focus their attention on pursuing aggressive action ensuring all nations’ compliance with and enforcement of ICCAT policies, enhancing reliance on science to drive management decisions, and implementing policies that incentivize actions to ensure a sustainable future for all species, particularly Atlantic bluefin tuna. The letter also asked the U.S. delegation to pursue a modest increase in the catch limits for western bluefin from the current level of 1,800 metric tons.

The question the U.S. delegation should be asking itself now is whether we want to incentivize or punish good behavior on the part of ICCAT members. We must allow science to dictate management measures, and in this case, the data is clear: there is room for an increase in the catch limit for western bluefin, yet we must push for further restrictions on catch limits in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean. U.S. fishermen have already sacrificed a portion of their livelihood today for a sustainable future tomorrow. Eastern Atlantic fishermen have not made those concessions, and the time has come for them to accept long overdue catch restrictions. Setting an example of imposing those same sanctions on U.S. fishermen even when the science would dictate otherwise will simply serve as a disincentive for other nations to agree to make similar sacrifices.

In today’s stagnant economic climate, this Administration must do all in its power to bolster employment. In our coastal communities, commercial, and recreational fisheries are huge economic drivers. As Ranking Member of both the Senate Subcommittee on Oceans, Atmospheres, Fisheries, and Coast Guard, and the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, I cannot help but see this decision as another failure on the part of the current Administration to capitalize on an opportunity to bolster or at least protect the jobs that fuel our coastal economy. I will continue to work alongside my colleagues in Congress to ensure we hold NOAA accountable and allow our fishermen in Maine and across America, to fish sustainably.