Needlenose

Did you really think an organization like International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), run as it is by countries with a vested interest in fishing for tuna would listen to warnings about the collapsing fishery and impending extinction of the fish and take real action and suspend fishing for a few years until the fish population recovers?  Seriously?

It’s like expecting the International Whaling Commission which includes only whaling countries, several of whom subsidize their <strike>commercial</strike> “research” whaling activities to seriously ban whaling – it’s not going to happen.

Why do we carry on these charades?  Well in the absence of a serious transnational authority over oceanic resources, the only way to get these countries to sit at the table is if they are scared that by not participating, somebody else will destroy the last of the ‘stocks’ first.  I guess it’s sort of a tragedy of the commons situation where all the parties sit around regularly and jawbone about the looming tragedy, then just do whatever the fuck they want to during the rest of the year.

At this point the tuna’s only hope appears to be tiny Monaco’s attempt to get CITES to declare the tuna endangered, thus triggering far stricter action on the part of CITES members:

Environmental groups are now backing a call from Monaco for the issue of bluefin tuna to be taken before a March meeting of CITES, an international body that sets rules against illegal wildlife trade, with the aim of declaring the fish endangered and putting a ban on catching it.

In related news, Pacific whales may have some hope not from positive political action but rather from Japanese government funding cuts that may cut the subsidies that keep their ‘research’ vessels in business.

*Update* Check out the Sea Shepherd’s new speedster

*Update 11/17/09* Found this funny South Park parody of Whale Wars – I think that kid may be onto something

*Update 11/18/09* Speaking of overfishing, prepare to say goodbye to this skate

Finally, somebody is stepping up to the looming tuna fishery collapse – several small Pacific island nations are putting restrictions on tuna catches in their territorial waters.  For me the news would be a lot more welcome, though, if they had done this in league with the world’s major tuna consumers in Asia and North America, as there are two major challenges facing these ‘lil nations.

First, this leaves far more ocean unprotected than protected, and from previous studies, tuna seem to get around.  Second, and just as critically, poaching is a huge problem, particularly when it comes to Asian fishing fleets.  Even the territory being restricted is pretty damn huge, and these cute ‘lil countries don’t have anywhere near the resources to patrol them.  And let’s say they do come face to face with a serious poacher – who is going to take the Kiribati Coast Guard seriously?

Unless we can get the big tuna eater leaders on-board with these restrictions, we should seriously consider Plan B, maybe even crewed by these rascals!