Fleet Quota Set for Bluefin Tuna Fishery

The new fleet quota system being used for Atlantic bluefin tuna will mean better industry prices and therefore more money for Canadian tuna fishermen, Nova Scotia Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Chris d'Entremont said today, Dec. 4.

"This system will provide local fleets the ability to manage the fishery much more effectively and efficiently and put more money in coastal communities," said Mr. d'Entremont.

Over the past two years, the federal Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), in consultation with the Atlantic provinces and representatives from the seven Atlantic bluefin fleets, conducted a review of the allocation process for the Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery. The review was supported by the Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture and Fisheries because it was designed to simplify and stabilize the industry's management system, resulting in higher prices for all tuna fishermen.

During the review, several methods were considered for calculating each fleet's share of the Atlantic bluefin tuna catch. Four preferred options were selected. Three of these options assigned an average value based on catches over varying time periods. The fourth option used percentages generated using all three of the time periods.

Option four was selected by the federal Minister of Fisheries and Oceans when the seven fleets could not reach a consensus on a preferred sharing formula.

Under that plan, Mr. d'Entremont said, Nova Scotia fishermen are actually receiving less quota.

"Under option four, our fleets receive 44.98 per cent of the resource, which represents the lowest percentage of the preferred options. Option four also generates the lowest result for the Southwest Nova Scotia fleet. Option one, on the other hand, would have given Nova Scotia 46 per cent."

Nova Scotia agreed to support the changes in order to achieve consensus from the majority of Atlantic Canadian fleets and to move on. Mr. d'Entremont said it will ultimately benefit all.

Under the old tuna management system, fleets competed in order to harvest the tuna first. This approach resulted in the fish being harvested early in the season, before the tuna were able to increase fat content and value.

"In 2003, tuna was being landed for $2 or less per pound in July, and the same fish would be worth in the range of $20 per pound in the fall,"Mr. d'Entremont said. "It just doesn't make sense to fish a $2 per pound tuna in July that's worth $20 per pound in September. Fleet sector management is clearly a step forward in the orderly management of the bluefin tuna fishery."