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No tuna quota increase this year

No tuna quota increase this year

P.E.I. bluefin tuna fishermen will not see an increase in their quota this year.

Last year, the quota increased by 30 tonnes [or about 100 tuna] because of a transfer agreement with Mexico.

Aside from fewer tuna being caught by Island fishermen, Ken Drake, chair of the P.E.I. Fishermen Association's Tuna Advisory Board, said not having the extra quota has also affected some bluefin tuna research.

Mexican transfer

"That Mexican transfer allowed more fishers to participate in the fishery … Fishermen who entered into a draw to have their name picked for a tag would be required to pay a fee. That money would go to research science that involved bluefin tuna, so it kinda was a big loss for everybody," he said.

The quota resulted in an extra $100,000 for the Department of Fisheries and Oceans for bluefin tuna research. This year, research into mortality and recovery rates was planned, but without the additional funding through the Mexican quota transfer, that research will have to wait until next year.

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