No agreement on tuna quotas

Press, 16 August 1985, Page 25

No agreement on tuna quotas

PA Wellington New Zealand, Japan, and Australia have failed to agree on limits to catches of southern blue fin tuna for the fourth time in three years. The Ministry of Fisheries management director, Mr Brian Cunningham, said that in the absence of a treaty between the three countries, confidential submissions on annual quotas would have to be made to the Government.

Scientists say stocks of the valuable species of tuna have fallen to a quarter or a third of the level of 25 years ago. In 1983 — the latest year for which statistics are available — the total combined catch was 42,500 tonnes, 24,700 tonnes by Japan, 17,700 tonnes by Australia, and 112 tonnes by

New Zealand. Up to 2000 tonnes of the Japanese catch was in New Zealand waters.

The fish spawn near Java and migrate down the west coast of Australia, and swim across the southern oceans past New Zealand before heading back to Java.

Mr Cunningham said that conservation measures had been instituted by the three countries. These included Japan’s efforts to stop fishing the spawning grounds and an Australian shift away from catching large volumes of small fish.

Although there was agreement that stocks had fallen below the level which would allow maximum continuing yields, there was disagreement on how the fishery level should be reduced.