Gibraltar’s bluefin tuna quota
7.12.2023
Question for written answer E-003587/2023
to the Commission
Rule 138
Clara Aguilera (S&D)
On 16 June 2023, the Government of Gibraltar’s Department of the Environment, Sustainability, Climate Change and Heritage informed all anglers that the bluefin tuna fishing season in the British Gibraltar Territorial Waters started on that day.
In this communication[1], fishermen are reminded that a Class K permit is required to catch bluefin tuna and that this year they will have a total allowable catch of 25 tonnes, in line with the latest increases in the regional quotas of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).
As Gibraltar is not a contracting party to ICCAT and has no authorised quota[2], while the European Commission is a permanent member of ICCAT and should be aware of the origin of all bluefin tuna quotas:
- 1.Does the Commission know the origin of the bluefin tuna quota announced by Gibraltar?
- 2.If its provenance is not known, has the Commission consulted the Convention about the quota’s origin and how appropriate its use is?
Submitted: 7.12.2023