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For the first time, a key species is ranking high on the agenda of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) this year, another of the world’s most majestic, most commercially valuable – and most exploited – marine species: the Mediterranean swordfish.
No comprehensive management and recovery plan has ever been designed for this species – yet it is, like bluefin tuna, highly overfished says WWF Mediterranean. Unless immediate action is taken, the Mediterranean swordfish will meet the same fate as Mediterranean bluefin tuna and face a high risk of collapse, warns the conservation organisation.
Countries have caught swordfish across the Mediterranean since Roman times, and those now catching the most are Italy (45%), Morocco (19%), Greece (10%), and Spain (10%).
The most recent stock assessment carried out by ICCAT’s own scientific committee in July 2010 shows overfishing and warns about the unsustainably high catches of juvenile fish, says WWF. The fishery underwent a rapid expansion in the late 1980s which led to a sharp decline in levels of fish of reproducing age in only a few years. The population has remained at historically low levels since then.
According to ICCAT scientists, annual catches currently amount to around 12,000 tonnes.
Female swordfish reach sexual maturity at 140 cm (approximately 3.5 years old). But fish less than three years old usually represent 50-70% of the total number of annual catches.
Indeed, the vast majority of catches in the current fishery are juvenile fish.
One key problem is that a reliable register of active fishing fleets targeting swordfish does not exist. But it is known that the number of vessels currently allowed by ICCAT to catch this fish in the Mediterranean is in the region of 13,000. Neither is there a minimum landing size in place for Mediterranean swordfish. But the one currently being discussed at ICCAT is far smaller than sexual maturity size for female swordfish. They reach sexual maturity at 140cm – while the minimum landing size could even be voted at 90cm at this week’s ICCAT meeting.
“A science-based recovery plan for Mediterranean swordfish needs to be urgently adopted by ICCAT in order to avoid further deterioration of the stock and risk of collapse,” says Dr Susana Sainz-Trápaga, Fisheries Officer at WWF Mediterranean.
"A recovery plan for Mediterranean swordfish needs to be urgently implemented. The plan should particularly address the overcapacity of the fleet, the protection of the juvenile fish, and traceability of swordfish products throughout the whole fishing and market chain.
"Following recent experience with the bluefin tuna fishery, WWF is convinced that a fleet capacity reduction plan should be among the key management measures in any new recovery plan for swordfish. In order to implement a capacity reduction plan ICCAT’s scientists should carry out an assessment of current fleet capacity targeting swordfish (with longliners and harpoons), by estimating catch rates per fleet segment.
“A list of vessels effectively targeting swordfish and a capacity reduction plan with clear timeframes for the elimination of overcapacity are the first steps needed to end overfishing,” says Susana Sainz-Trápaga.
Any effective recovery plan for swordfish must include a reliable capacity reduction plan with a clear timeframe. Technical measures to protect juveniles, to increase selectivity and ensure traceability should also be stated in the plan. These include a seasonal closure during the entire recruitment period (ICCAT scientists say that only a six-month seasonal closure can rebuild the stock to mid-1980 levels), a minimum landing size determined by age of sexual maturity, and the establishment of an effective catch document scheme.
A swordfish catch documentation scheme based on individual tail tagging, similar to the one established for East Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, should also be put in place immediately – to ensure full traceability of swordfish products, says WWF Mediterranean.
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