歐盟執行委員會19日決定結束2007年在東大西洋和地中海黑鮪魚的漁季。根據由7個歐盟國家收到黑鮪魚捕獲量的回報，委員會表示2007年歐盟的鮪魚限量16,780公噸已耗盡。
大西洋的黑鮪魚有兩個族群，西邊的是在墨西哥灣產卵的小族群， 東邊較大的族群每年5月由北大西洋迴游至地中海產卵。
每年當鮪魚進入地中海的時令，偵查機和直升機都會出動等待鮪魚出現。為了要保護產卵的鮪魚，自從2001年起，在6月使用偵查機被視為違法。世界自然基金會地中海分會表示，6月中曾經觀察到非法的飛行，該分會宗旨即是要保護黑鮪魚。
黑鮪魚傳統是以魚網捕捉，但是大部分的捕網，現在已被高科技的捕漁船隊所取代。
捕魚時，黑鮪魚從圍網移入拖船的魚網，再將其拖至地中海的黑鮪魚養殖場，在那兒鮪魚被圈養，以供應日本壽司和生魚片市場，這些消費大概佔全球黑鮪魚捕獲量的40%。
東邊的黑鮪魚魚群已經被過量捕殺多年，科學家重複警告，如果沒有明確的措施來削減漁獵活動，魚群會有滅絕的危機。
2007年對歐盟和其他捕魚國家的配額是29500公噸。
但是世界自然基金會說，問題是沒有人真的知道到底有多少噸的鮪魚在捕魚季中被捕捉。
大西洋鮪類資源保育委員會（ICCAT）將連結國際的海洋查緝擺在計畫的重點，執委會漁業暨海事委員柏格(Joe Borg )表示，進口的國家，尤其是日本，將會要求其禁止沒有符合ICCAT規定的魚獲進口。
The European Commission today decided to close the 2007 fishery for bluefin tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea. On the basis of the catch returns received from the seven European Union countries that fish for bluefin, the 2007 EU quota of 16,780 metric tons has been exhausted, the Commission said.
There are two populations of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a smaller western population which spawns in the Gulf of Mexico, and a larger eastern population which returns each May from the all around the North Atlantic Ocean to spawn in the Mediterranean Sea.
Spotter planes and helicopters are waiting for the tuna as they enter the Mediterranean. In an attempt to protect the spawning tuna, the use of spotter aircraft has been illegal in the month of June since 2001. But illegal flights during June have been observed, says WWF Mediterranean, which campaigns for protection of bluefin tuna.
Bluefin have traditionally caught using traps, but most of the traps now have been replaced with high-tech fishing fleets.
The tuna are transferred from the purse seine net into the nets of a tug boat that tows them to tuna farms located in various places around the Mediterranean. There they are placed in net cages for fattening to feed the Japanese sushi and sashimi market which consumes 40 percent of global bluefin landings.
The eastern population of bluefin tuna has been overfished for many years, and scientists have repeatedly warned of the danger of collapse if nothing was done to dramatically reduce the level of fishing activity.
The 2007 total quota was set at 29,500 metric tonnes for the EU and other fishing nations.
But WWF says the big problem is that no one really knows how many tonnes of tuna were caught during the season.
A high priority will be placed on the ICCAT plan for joint international inspections at sea. And Importing countries, in particular Japan, will be asked to refuse imports which are not shown to comply fully with ICCAT measures, says European Commissioner for Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Joe Borg.
全文及圖片詳見 ENS
