The Department of the Environment, Heritage and Climate Change will implement a temporary suspension to the 2017 Tuna Open Season.
This suspension will run from the 16th July to the 6th August 2017, both days inclusive. The fishing of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thunnus) will be prohibited during this time.
This includes catch and release of BluefinTuna.The Open Season will resume on Monday 7th August 2017.
This action is being taken in view of the fact that catches have been high this year in the early part of the season, exceeding 9 tonnes after four weeks, in order to be able to extend the season to the latter part of the summer.
At the same time, the quota is being reviewed. ICCAT (the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) has increased the overall quota by 20%. While Gibraltar is not a member of ICCAT, its regulations in general parallel theirs, in order to cooperate in the international conservation methods that have been so successful in recent years. The Government is therefore introducing a corresponding increase in quota (or total allowable catch) to 15.5 tonnes, as from when the season re-opens on 7th August.