Italy has reported several incidents of illegal bluefin fishing with over 10 tons seized in the past six months. The most recent took place in Teulada, southwest of Cagliari, in May. Coast Guard and fisheries officials confiscated nine illegally caught bluefin while they were being transferred into a truck. The perpetrators were issued a fine of EUR 5,400.

Officials are donating these illegally captured fish to people from economically disadvantaged families. The Catania Veterinary Department, along with food banks and NGOs, will hand over the fish in the coming days under the ‘Cuore Generoso’ and ‘Ri-Pescato’ projects, which donate seized food, reported Italian news sites. The veterinary department did inspection and laboratory analysis to ensure that the fish are healthy for consumption.

John Burton, a founding member of the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), has stepped down from the organization’s Partnership Advisory Group. Sarah Eames, COO of World Wise Foods, will fill the vacant position in the Group. GTA announced this in a press statement. It said that Burton was one of the longest-serving members of the Advisory Group and “played a pivotal role in helping shape our direction, challenge our thinking, and drive real change for sustainable tuna and promoting the interests of small-scale tuna fisheries in developing coastal states.”

Burton is the Co-Founder of the International Pole-and-Line Foundation (IPNLF), established to support pole-and-line caught tuna fisheries. He is the founder of UK-based World Wise Foods and holds the majority of the shares. Burton is also the Director and Chair of the company.  Through his Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust, he funds several human rights initiatives and environmental NGOs that protect the livelihoods of coastal communities in vulnerable coastal states in the Indian Ocean.

Eleven fishers on a small purse seiner were rescued yesterday after their boat took in water while fishing for tuna in the waters of Lý Sơn in Vietnam’s Quảng Ngãi province. Captain of the fishing boat ‘QNg 95039 TS’ sent out a distress signal in the wee hours of Wednesday after the boat started taking in water. Upon receiving the information, several local fishing vessels that were operating nearby quickly approached and brought all 11 fishermen safely aboard, reported Vietnamese news sites. However, their mini seiner sank despite efforts to save it.

Officials stated that they will conduct an investigation into the incident, calculate the damage, and provide support to the fishermen. Lý Sơn, a region in the South China Sea, is known for its tuna fishing, mainly for skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye.