Cefas and University of Exeter have launched a bluefin tuna tagging programme to try and find out more about the migration patterns of these enigmatic predators.

2018 represents the first year when the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter have run a sightings programme, asking members of the public to send in their records of Atlantic bluefin tuna. 2017 was a remarkable year for Atlantic bluefin tuna sightings and 2018 has been even more impressive.

Hannah and Duncan Jones of Marine Discovery Penzance, a local wildlife tour operator, said:

We’ve already seen bluefin tuna on 45 occasions this year and our season isn’t over yet. Most of those instances have been large shoals with a mix in the size of fish, but recently most fish seen at the surface have been large. We have certainly seen more this year than ever, which has been the case every year now since 2015!

This year, records have been sent in from the Scilly Isles, Scotland, Wales, England and even the Channel Islands and regularly detailing sightings of shoals of Atlantic bluefin tuna, hundreds of fish strong. During the beginning of the electronic tagging programme, observers have witnessed over 100 separate Atlantic bluefin tuna feeding events. Whilst seeing these predators back in waters of the British Isles is incredibly exciting, it’s clearer now more than ever how little is known about the local ecology of these animals.

The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter are conducting a two-year scientific study, supported by the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, to deploy state of the art animal tracking devices to find out where Atlantic bluefin tuna in UK waters go. Scientists will work with stakeholders including commercial fishers, recreational anglers, wildlife watchers, and NGOs, to share knowledge, and to deploy around 40 state-of-the-art satellite tracking devices. Tagging started in October, and the programme has been designed with the input and help of fishers.

The work will help scientists to understand:

• where and when Atlantic bluefin tuna are found in British waters;
• long-distance migrations, and where Atlantic bluefin tuna go when they are not in UK coastal waters;
• where Atlantic bluefin tuna found in UK waters go to breed; and
• interactions between Atlantic bluefin tuna and both commercial and recreational fisheries.

The information will improve knowledge on Atlantic bluefin tuna, ultimately aiding in the conservation of these remarkable animals into the future.

Following a summer in which sightings of bluefin were once again common, Dr David Righton, lead scientist on the project for Cefas said:

This exciting collaboration will enable us to gather and share knowledge of this incredible species and uncover the role they play in UK waters. Cefas has a long history of investigating the behaviours and migrations of many species of fish, and we’re looking forward to using our expertise to address some of the fundamentally important questions that need answering about bluefin tuna.

Dr Matthew Witt, lead scientist on the project for the University of Exeter said:

This a ground-breaking project for the UK and another important step towards the use of evidence-based approaches for conservation in our coastal seas. These are huge, exciting, top predators, yet with an uncertain future. We’ve already learned a huge amount about bluefin from talking to wildlife spotters and fishers who are out on the water every day. Our tagging programme will help build an even more detailed understanding at the level of individual fish. The next few years will be challenging, exciting, yet hugely revealing regards their movements and biology.

Background:

Atlantic bluefin tuna are known for being amongst the biggest, fastest and most valuable fish in the sea. They were once a common sight in UK waters, ranging throughout the Celtic and North Sea. However, they largely disappeared from British waters in the 1990s, possibly due to overfishing, and are now recognised as an endangered species. In recent years they have been observed more frequently in our coastal waters, particularly during the late summer, autumn and winter as they move into coastal areas to feed on energy rich fish, such as sprats and herring, in waters off the south west of the UK.

Atlantic bluefin tuna can migrate over huge distances, moving over the entire Atlantic Ocean to North America and back again in a single year, crossing both coastal waters and the deep offshore. They are top predators of the seas and are fast, energetic and powerful fish with considerable commercial and conservation interest. However, despite historic evidence, we know little about their movements, for example how long they stay in British waters and where they go once they leave our coastal environment. Improving knowledge on the species is an important first step for securing a positive future for Atlantic bluefin tuna around the UK.

More information on the project can be found at https://www.thunnusuk.org/. A blog on the project has also been published today at: https://marinescience.blog.gov.uk/.

A new tagging programme is exploring the behaviour and migration of Atlantic bluefin tunas, to better understand recent sightings around the UK.

Thank you very much Mr President and thank you to the SRSG for your briefing and for all the good work you and your team continue to do in Kosovo and in the region. And welcome to his Excellency the Foreign Minister and also to her Excellency the Kosovo Ambassador to Washington.

We fully support UNMIK Mr President and we recognize the important role UNMIK has played in post-conflict stabilization and reconciliation. The situation in Kosovo has indeed changed dramatically since the mission’s inception two decades ago. We believe that the Security Council needs to use its resources effectively and it needs to refocus UNMIK’s efforts so that the means deployed by the United Nations are tailored fully to the situation on the ground.

To this end Mr President, the United Kingdom supports and looks forward to a strategic review of the mission. I would recall for members that the European Union and other regional organizations are also very closely involved in Kosovo and in the region and the EU’s role is vital, I think, to enabling true peace, security and stability on the ground.

With the efficiency and priorities of this Council in mind, we actually welcome the reduction in frequency of UNMIK discussions. The Foreign Minister singled out my country so I will take a few brief minutes to respond, if I may. It’s important that the cycle of discussion in the Council reflects reality on the ground and we all agreed this at the point at which we took the decision. And it’s also important that the reporting cycles of the Secretary-General reflect the frequency of Council discussion.

But on the Foreign Minister’s specific points, let me say Sir that we offered four options to reach agreement with your country and all four were rejected. We also made it very clear that we would hold a meeting on Kosovo in the Security Council if there were progress on normalization. Sadly, there wasn’t progress on normalization. Instead I am sorry to say that the Serbian government orchestrated a protest outside our embassy in Belgrade which is simply not an acceptable way of conducting diplomatic relations.

Mr President as we reflect on the progress Kosovo has made since UNMIK’s installation in 1999, there is an example of how far Kosovo has moved forward that I’d like to raise. This concerns the Kosovo Police. The Kosovo Police is a professional organisation that, since its inception in 1999, has taken responsibility for ensuring the maintenance of rule of law in the long term. Its officers are well-trained and they are keen to cooperate internationally in our joint efforts to combat serious and organized crime and terrorism. So the United Kingdom hopes Mr President, that the Kosovo police is voted into Interpol at the General Assembly next week and we urge other members to support their bid. This is not about political point scoring. This is about our collective security and our collective fight against organized crime. Kosovo’s inclusion would facilitate information sharing among law enforcement in the Western Balkans and beyond. And this would enhance all of our stability, including Serbia’s. It is time that we stopped transnational organized criminals cooperating better than our own police services.

If I may Mr President, I would just like to add at this point that I knew Oliver Ivanović and considered him a friend. We too hope that the perpetrators of his murder will be brought to justice. Oliver worked tirelessly to try to normalize the state of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. I think the greatest tribute that both countries could pay to Oliver would be to continue his work without conditions.

Mr President, we continue to encourage Serbia and Kosovo to make progress towards a sustainable solution through the EU-facilitated Dialogue. We agree with both speakers that progress on the Dialogue is vital for stability, security and prosperity in the two countries and the region, but I am sorry to say Mr President that this is not always the way in which the Dialogue is approached and we would like to see much more progress. We would like to see faster progress and we would like always the two sides to keep in mind that any proposals they put forward really do enhance stability on the ground and enhance the safety and security of all their citizens.

We have had a number of rounds of dialogue in the past Mr President. In this century alone there was an attempt in 2006 under UN auspices to resolve the status issue that recommended Kosovo be independent. That was blocked. There was an attempt in 2007 between the EU, the United States and Russia to the same end, and that too was blocked. Now we have the EU-facilitated Dialogue. I cannot stress too strongly Mr President how important it is that that dialogue makes real progress if the region – and Kosovo in Serbia in particular – are to realize prosperity, security and stability.

Mr President, the people of Kosovo and Serbia have elected their leaders to best represent their interests. We urge these leaders to do so. Provocative acts and rhetoric from both sides are deeply unhelpful, antagonistic and should be stopped. They’re contrary to the spirit of normalization and they simply make finding common ground more difficult. We believe Mr President that both countries need now to focus on a deliverable and sustainable normalization agreement through the EU-facilitated Dialogue which enhances security and benefits the ordinary people of both countries. The United Kingdom stands ready to support such an agreement.

Thank you Mr President.

The Cabinet has just had a long, detailed and impassioned debate on the draft Withdrawal Agreement and the Outline Political Declaration on our future relationship with the European Union.

These documents were the result of thousands of hours of hard negotiation by UK officials, and many, many meetings, which I and other ministers held with our EU counterparts.

I firmly believe that the draft Withdrawal Agreement was the best that could be negotiated, and it was for the Cabinet to decide whether to move on in the talks.

The choices before us were difficult, particularly in relation to the Northern Ireland backstop.

But the collective decision of Cabinet was that the Government should agree the draft Withdrawal Agreement and the Outline Political Declaration – this is a decisive step which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in the days ahead.

These decisions were not taken lightly – but I believe it is a decision that is firmly in the national interest.

When you strip away the detail, the choice before us is clear. This deal which delivers on the vote of the referendum, which brings back control of our money, laws and borders; ends free movement; protects jobs, security and our union; or leave with no deal; or no Brexit at all.

I know that there will be difficult days ahead. This is a decision which will come under intense scrutiny and that is entirely as it should be and entirely understandable.

But the choice was this deal, which enables us to take back control and to build a brighter future for our country, or going back to square one with more division, more uncertainty and a failure to deliver on the referendum.

It is my job as Prime Minister to explain the decisions that the Government has taken and I stand ready to do that beginning tomorrow with a statement in Parliament.

If I may end by just saying this. I believe that what I owe to this country is to take decisions that are in the national interest, and I firmly believe with my head and my heart that this is a decision which is in the best interests of our entire United Kingdom.

Thank you very much indeed, Mr President.

Welcome to our colleagues from Djibouti, Eritrea and Somalia. I’d like to thank Council members for their unanimous support for this resolution. It lifts sanctions on Eritrea. It sets out the Council’s continued support for efforts to improve peace and security in Somalia.

The agreement to lift sanctions on Eritrea recognises the improvements in regional peace and security and the positive steps Eritrea has taken to meet the demands of the Security Council. It is right, in the light of such developments, we reconsider the measures. It is also right that we continue to urge dialogue between Eritrea and Djibouti on the Djiboutian combatants missing in action and on the resolution of their border dispute. We look forward to continued efforts to normalize relations between both countries and we stand ready to assist.

Turning to Somalia, we condemn in the strongest terms the horrific attacks in Mogadishu on Friday. It’s clear that Al-Shabaab continues to pose a serious threat to the peace and stability of Somalia and the region. This resolution underlines our full support for the Somali authorities in their efforts to combat this threat.

In this context, we welcome the progress to date on security reform. Further progress is now essential to implement the National Security Architecture and make full use of integrated regional Somali forces to deliver a successful transition to Somalia-led security. Coordinated international engagement will remain key.

We also look forward to further cooperation between the Somali authorities and the reconstituted Panel of Experts on the implementation of the arms embargo.

Mr President, I think the countries concerned and the region deserve to be congratulated on the important steps forward that they have taken that have made this resolution possible today. Not only is it a very important step for the countries in the region, I think it sends a helpful wider signal to the international community that if the right steps are taken, sanctions can be lifted.

The United Kingdom has the pleasure to continue to offer its full support to these Somali authorities, the Djiboutian and Eritrean authorities, the Sanctions Committee and a Panel of Experts in their efforts to support peace and stability.