Scientists Get No Respect From Fishery Managers

Via Science:[subscription required]

Last June, when a scientific panel met to review the health of the bluefin tuna stock in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean, they estimated that the 2007 bluefin catch was roughly 61,000 tons—more than double the limit set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). To forestall disaster, the panel recommended that ICCAT set a quota of 15,000 tons starting in 2009. ICCAT's response: quotas of 22,000 tons in 2010, 19,950 tons in 2011, and 18,500 tons in 2012.

The report from ICCAT Standing Commitee On Research And Statistics is available here.[PDF 11.4 MB]