Canada loses tuna quota

A smaller catch of tuna in the eastern United States has led an international commission tolower the quota for eastern Canada.

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas met last month in Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The commission's 43 membersseem to have bowed to pressure from the Americans in reducing Canada's quota, said Walter Bruce, president of the P.E.I. Tuna Fishery Advisory Committee.

'The scientists are going by what the Americans are catching.' Walter Bruce

"On the international scene, there's not much you can do," said Bruce.

"We believe that the block of fish that's on the east coast just went further north and that's why the Americans aren't catching it. But then again the scientists are going by what the Americans are catching, and they aren't catching any."

U.S. fishermen haven't been catching their quota, andblameoverfishing. They called for stricter conservation measures.

The quota cut means a 20 per cent reduction for P.E.I., about 100 tonnes of tuna. Bruce said Island tuna fishermen plan to fight to get the quota back.

In October, tuna quota not caught off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia in the late summer season was given to Island fishermen to catch. It was feared at the time that if Canada didn't catch its full quota there would be a reduction at the Croatia meetings.