Summer tuna fish controls swing into action

PALMA
STOCKS of blue fin tuna are now considered depleted in the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and in great parts of the Pacific and the Balearics will soon mount its annual tuna fishing control operation to combat illegal fishing in local waters.

But, the threat to the future of blue fin tuna is so severe the main concern this week at a summit in San Sebastian is that over fishing has driven many tuna species including the iconic blue fin to the brink of extinction.

The European Commission thinks reducing fleets is the answer while environmentalists say tougher quotas would do the trick.
The industry, however, wants more attention paid to reducing bycatch, the unwanted fish, sharks, turtles and other marine life caught in nets, along with young tuna.

It is the bycatch which is causing serious damage to the marine system here in the Balearics, specially by trawlers using illegal size nets and this is what the summer fishing controls aim to stop.

Spotter planes will be keeping a close eye on the activities of trawlers, in particular French and Italian, in Balearics waters over the next two months and any suspicious activity will be investigated by the authorities.