Conservation Commission Not All It's Cracked Up To Be

According to their website, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas(ICCAT) "is responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas." The Commission collects data and performs research with regards to the tuna. The intergovernmental group also sets fishing quotas. These quotas are supposed to be within a sustainable range. After all, the ICCAT "is responsible for the conservation of tunas and tuna-like species," right?

Well, not exactly. Some say that the group has often fallen short of that responsibility. According to information in an article on greenpeace.org and an article in Foreign Policy magazine, ICCAT has set the quotas too high for the past decade, ignoring the recommendations of their own scientists. The Commission is showing where it's priorities are...with the commercial fishing industries. ICCAT has even been referred to as the "International Conspiracy to End All Tunas" by some conservationists. Ten years of doing the opposite of what you say you do seems like a bit much. Perhaps it is time to assign a different group to the task of conserving the tuna populations.

References:
http://www.iccat.int/en/
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/releases/iccat-international-disgrace-11092008
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2010/02/12/peak_tuna?page=0,1