S. Korea's Atlantic tuna quota cut sharply in 2009

SEOUL, Dec. 1 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's quota for Atlantic tuna will be cut by 23
percent in 2009 to reflect sharp drops in overall fish reserves, the government
said Monday.

The Ministry for Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries said the total
allowable catch (TAC) for the country has been downgraded to 132.26 tons from
171.77 tons for this year.
The decision reached at the 16th International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Marrakesh, Morocco also cut South Korea's total to
119.90 tons in 2010.
"The drop is not expected to be a serious blow to South Korean fishing since only
one ship operates in the Atlantic and Mediterranean with most of the tuna caught
being exported to Japan," said a government official.
He added that South Korea is not the only country effected by the TAC reductions,
as global figures have been slashed from 28,500 tons this year to 22,000 tons in
2009 and 19,500 tons in 2010.
Quotas for Japan and the European Community have all be cut to reflect the need
for greater conservation efforts.
yonngong@yna.co.kr
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