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Chairman Thomas J. Manton 

 November 1, 1993 

 Page Two 



For example, they ignored the 1990 NMFS recommendation that the 

 U.S. reduce the catch of western bluefin tuna to as near zero as 

 possible. Conservation has not been high on the delegation's 

 agenda . 



There is little competition for the price commercially-caught 

 bluefin tuna fetches in Japan; over two-thirds of the total U.S. 

 catch (by weight) of tuna is exported to Japanese markets, which 

 have paid outrageous prices of over $30,000 for a single tuna. 

 That dramatically demonstrates unacceptable conspicuous consumption 

 that has little concern for resource conservation. It has only 

 motivated greed. The political realities of ICCAT, coupled with 

 the weak stance and representation to ICCAT by the United States 

 delegation, translates into a bleak future for bluefin. 



Tuna stocks are now at such a devastated level that drastic 

 action must be taken immediately to halt all bluefin fishing. It 

 should not take a complete stock collapse to spur us to reassess 

 our flawed policies; the time is here for action and for U.S. 

 leadership internationally. 



Unfortunately, the U.S. has not taken a leadership stance; 

 rather, it has yielded its conservation authority to an 

 international commission where it has little influence. Under 

 ATCA, the U.S. cannot implement a quota more stringent than that 

 proposed by ICCAT. Despite the widespread recognition that ICCAT 

 has allowed continuing plunder of the seas, the U.S. has adopted a 

 policy of limiting our conservation actions by ICCAT decisions. 

 The U.S. has legislatively guaranteed that our nation will pillage 

 the resource to the extent that ICCAT will allow, regardless of 

 national needs or regional differences in stocks. 



Europeans and Japanese may plunder the eastern stock of 

 Atlantic bluefin tuna, but the United States should certainly show 

 leadership, both in ICCAT and by example, for conservation of the 

 western stock. Immediate strong conservation measures can help 

 restore the stock and permit for vibrant, sustainable recreational 

 and commercial fisheries in the future. Further delay will only 

 push bluefin closer to — and perhaps over — the brink. 



Certain actions can go far toward improving the conservation 

 of western Atlantic bluefin tuna. First, the United States should 

 reclaim our authority over our own conservation programs by 

 deleting the ATCA provisions prohibiting quotas more stringent than 

 ICCAT' s. Secondly, the United States delegation to ICCAT should 

 act as a vigorous advocate for bluefin conservation (much the same 

 can be said for swordf ish) . The U.S. should consider using 

 sanctions (e.g., under the Pelly amendment) to encourage other 

 nations to improve their conservation practices. 



