To this end, a pilot experimental fishing program was conducted in the southern Indian Ocean in 1998. The results of this program suggested strongly that southern bluefin tuna stocks were recovering well and estimated the probability of recovery to the 1980 stock level had increased dramatically. However, ascertaining the accuracy of these findings will require a full-scale research program involving the collection of data in areas and at times for which data has not been obtained to date. Possible Impact of the Experimental Fishing Program on Stocks Australia and New Zealand asserted that the implementation of an experimental fishing program would have an adverse impact on the southern bluefin tuna population. Japan has responded by pledging to reduce its catch to compensate for fish taken for research purposes in the event that the program was shown to have any negative effects in the future, thereby minimizing the potential impact on the stock.
Details are as follows.
Preliminary Statistical Report on the Marketing of Vegetables and Fruit, last 10 days of October 1999. Statistics on the Marketing of Fisheries Products in Consuming Areas, September 1999.