Call for commercial tuna fishing quota ‘unacceptable’, ESG and GONHS say

Environmental groups the ESG and GONHS have said the Gibraltar Tuna Fishing Club’s calls for a commercial quota are “unacceptable”, highlighting that “Atlantic Bluefin Tuna was threatened with extinction not long ago”.

The ESG and GONHS issued a joint statement in response to comments made by the Club to this newspaper earlier this week.

The Club had said the Government should consider providing Gibraltar with a commercial quota, where anglers would be able to sell under stricter conditions.

In response, the environmental groups said they read these comments “with disbelief”.

“We believe these comments cannot go unanswered,” the groups said.

“The claim that Bluefin Tuna numbers are ‘out of control’ is frankly astonishing.”

“Humans have driven many species to extinction over the centuries, including due to overexploitation.”

The groups said that given this history, and the ongoing risks posed by rising sea temperatures and broader environmental pressures, the current recovery of Bluefin Tuna populations “should be something to protect and celebrate, not vilify”.

“While it is true that BFT numbers have improved from near-collapse, experts caution that this recovery is fragile and must be carefully managed,” the ESG and GONHS said.

“To suggest that the species is now ‘out of control’ is not only misleading but dangerous.”

“Furthermore, populations of the prey species of BFT remain healthy, or the population of BFT itself would collapse. This is a very basic ecological principle.”

The group said Gibraltar’s current quotas are already disproportionately high relative to the small population and territorial waters when compared with allocations to larger countries across Europe.

They added that Gibraltar has a proud and well-established record of fighting to protect its natural environment and biodiversity.

The ESG and GONHS said they believe that Gibraltar has a responsibility to safeguard all migratory species in the local environment, “particularly apex predators like the majestic Bluefin tuna that are so important to food chains, now and for generations to come”.