A Commentary on Western Atlantic Bluefin Tuna Assessments

Abstract

Abstract Intense fishing for bluefin tuna Thunnus thynnus in the western Atlantic Ocean began in the 1960s, when landings peaked at nearly 20,000 metric tons (mt). During the 1970s, landings averaged about 5,000 mt. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) established a total allowable catch (TAC) of 1,160 mt in 1982 and has set limits ranging from 1,995 to 2,660 mt annually since. The Commission's assessments indicate that unrestricted fishing through the 1960s and 1970s resulted in a sharp decline in abundance, primarily because heavy fishing on young fish wasted potentially good recruitment. Since the late 1980s, ICCAT management has stabilized the western Atlantic population, and recently there are signs of improvement. Resource assessments and management of western Atlantic bluefin tuna are subjects of severe controversy. Two of the most controversial issues are the stock assessment implications of fish migrations between the western and eastern Atlantic management ...