Atlantic Bluefin tuna will not be listed on the endangered species list, a decision released in April 2017.
The federal government's final decision was published in the Canada Gazette saying it would not be listed under the Species at Risk Act (SARA).
Fisheries and Oceans Canada rejected advice to list the species as endangered last summer, saying western Atlantic Bluefin tuna stocks have been rebuilding since 2011 when the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada said tuna should be listed as an endangered species under federal species-at-risk legislation. Included in the decision were the government's rationale and the steps that will be taken to help in its recovery. If the species would have been listed on SARS, it would no longer have been allowed to be fished commercially.
While the Atlantic Bluefin was assessed as endangered in 2011, the population has shown signs of increase over the past six years but is still below levels from the 1970s. "This species has been waiting in limbo for six years for a decision," said Katie Schleit, senior marine conservation coordinator at the Ecology Action Centre. "But even by deciding not to list, the government is still obligated to take additional action. Work to conserve and recover the species is still far from done."
Glenn MacKenzie of the Gulf Nova Scotia Tuna Association said he was "very relieved." That would have made it illegal to kill, harm or capture the giant fish. He's one of 135 commercial tuna fishermen who fish from the Nova Scotia side of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence. "The science proves that the stock is becoming healthier, more abundant and sustainable," MacKenzie said Monday.
Quotas could change
In its analysis posted in the Canada Gazette Saturday, DFO said the original recommendation was made based on data up to 2009. "However, since that time, the status of the western stock of Atlantic bluefin tuna has improved significantly," the report said. DFO said the biomass is expected to continue to increase under current catches, which are set at 2,000 tonnes in 2016. Canada's share is about 450 tonnes.
DFO also noted a species-at-risk listing "is not expected to have a positive impact on the species" since the international commission that manages western Atlantic Bluefin stocks could allocate the Canadian portion to other countries.
But critics such as Heather Grant of Halifax-based Ecology Action Centre argue DFO has not done a good job managing the tuna stocks. Under the current allowable catch, there is only a 50 percent chance the stocks will stabilise or increase, she said. "It really looks like they are going to be maintaining the status quo, in terms of what they are willing to do, and we don't think that's acceptable," Grant said.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas will reassess the stock next month. A review of the total allowable catch is expected in November. Meanwhile, members of the public have 30 days to comment on DFO's recommendation that Bluefin tuna not be listed as a species-at-risk.
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