Bermeo, the Basque town that controls close to 10% of the world’s freezer tuna fleet, wants to project its leadership and potential in this sector beyond its geographical limits. To this end, the fishing village will take its first International Forum for debate and reflection on the sustainability of tuna fishing to Bilbao, which will take place on May 2 and 3 between the Biscayan capital and the fishing village.

On its opening day, the organizers hope to bring together numerous world-class personalities at the Euskalduna Palace in order to “create synergies for sustainable management” of a fishery that occupies some 60 boats in the hands of local companies. The closing day will be held in Bermeo. The appointment will serve to create “an alliance of world tuna cities, among which is Bermeo”, they advance from the organization of the initiative.

The forum expects the participation of delegates from other capitals where tuna is also an important part of their economy, such as Manta (Ecuador) or Port Victoria (Seychelles).

The meeting, promoted by the Bermeo Tuna World Capital (BTWC) group, will also promote an International Declaration for Tuna Sustainability “to support a sector that for more than a decade has been committed to promoting responsible fishing practices in all the seas of the world”, explains the president of BTWC, Ignacio Serrats.

The document, which was presented during last year’s Fish Fair in Bermeo, as well as in the framework of the World Ocean Conference (Lisbon) and the National Tuna Congress (Madrid), will be signed in May by world experts to guarantee the sustainability of this natural resource, which is close to its maximum sustainable yield limits.

The Bermeo tuna companies warn, in this sense, that the forecast of the increase in the world population and the need for greater demand for tuna catches will bring with it the increase in “illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing practices”, they warn. “It is estimated that one million tons of the tuna that is marketed comes from illegal fishing,” they also emphasize from the Bermean organization.

The capture of the five most commercial species of tuna – bonito del Norte, bluefin tuna, yellowfin, bigeye and skipjack – currently occupies more than half a thousand boats in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans alone. “Tuna is the basis of economic development for more than 80 countries, 20% of the value of world fishing and 25% of the total protein consumed in the world,” says Serrats. “Thanks to its properties, it is also a ‘superfood’, which is why we see it as necessary to recognize and save the fundamental role of the tuna sector in the sustainable development of humanity”, says the president of BTWC.