Bluefin Tuna Management in Atlantic Canada

Bluefin tuna is one of the largest of tuna species, and it is considered a delicacy in many countries, especially Japan. The species is distributed throughout the Atlantic in subtropical and temperate waters.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna fishery is conducted in Canadian waters over the Scotian Shelf, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, in the Bay of Fundy, and off Newfoundland. The fishing season is related to the highly migratory pattern of tuna and generally, takes place between July and December when the tuna migrate into Canadian waters.

The popularity of this tuna in highly lucrative markets has led to extensive exploitation in several areas, most notably in the North Atlantic Ocean. Because bluefin migrate long distances, and because much of the fishery occurs in international waters, international co-operation is necessary in management decisions. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) manages bluefin tuna and allocates available quotas among member countries.

ICCAT sets the Total Allowable Catch (TAC) and allocation shares for each country. The Canadian TAC for 2005 is 737.13 tonnes (t), which includes the roll-over of unused quota from 2004, in accordance with ICCAT regulations. Of this Canadian quota, 678.04 t is allocated to the inshore fishery, 39.09 t to the swordfish longline fleet for bluefin tuna bycatch in the Central North Atlantic, and 20 t to the offshore tuna licence for bluefin tuna bycatch.

For the 2004-2006 management plan, fleet quotas were introduced. Under this system, fleets operate independently of each other, adopting their own strategies to address when and how to harvest this valuable, highly migratory fish. The seven inshore fleets are allocated quota shares, which were set based on their 10-year average historical landings.

Management plans are developed in consultation with the fishing industry and are amended as required to update quotas and management measures considered appropriate by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the fishing industry.

All bluefin tuna caught by Canadian fishers must be tagged individually. Dockside monitoring is required for all landings of bluefin tuna, while at-sea observer coverage is employed in this fishery at a target rate of 5 per cent coverage of the total fishing days. Beginning in 2004, tag transfers from bluefin tuna fleets to the pelagic longline fleet were authorized in an effort to reduce the dead discarding of bluefin tuna. Management measures include limited entry and gear restrictions.