Fishing nations maintain tuna quotas

AGADIR, Morocco — The international organization of fishing countries has decided to follow the scientific recommendations and maintain strict quotas on the fishing of endangered Atlantic bluefin tuna.

At the conclusion of the eight day conference in Morocco on Monday, the 48-nation International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas resisted the call for a major increase in tuna quotas, a key ingredient for sushi, despite signs the stocks are recovering.

The quota will rise from 12,900 metric tons a year to 13,500 — within the limits recommended by scientists to allow tuna to recover.

Lax quotas at ICCAT and rampant overfishing resulted in the stocks of bluefin falling by 60 percent from 1997 to 2007.

Environmental groups welcomed the decision but deplored the refusal to introduce new protections for endangered shark populations.