VOA标准英语2009年-Quotas Cut as Scientists Warn That Souther

By Phil Mercer
Sydney
26 October 2009

 
Australian customs vessel¹, 18 Jan 2008
Australia is cutting its catch of southern bluefin tuna by 30 percent after warnings from scientists that stocks are close to collapse². The reduction follows an international seafood³ conference in South Korea.
 
The southern bluefin tuna catch is worth hundreds of millions of dollars to Australia but marine⁴ researchers estimate that stocks are dangerously low.

The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna, which represents all the major countries that catch the fish, recently met in South Korea.

There was broad agreement at the conference that bluefin fishing quotas⁶ had to be cut immediately. While the overall international quota⁵ has been cut 20 percent, Australia, which is responsible for about 40 percent of the world's catch, must cut its take by almost a third.
 
The cut hits Australian fishermen hard. Southern bluefin tuna is Australia's largest fishing industry and the annual season starts in early December.

Not everyone thinks the industry is in crisis.
 
In Sydney, fish retailer⁷, Tony Tsiklas, does not think that tuna stocks are dangerously low."Some of the fishermen have been telling me that you can actually walk on the water, that's how many there is out there in winter. If you haven't got a quota to catch it, you can't catch it, and they keep cutting them off," he says, "Now Australia's got a good system here like the way that we're doing it, alright, to sustain for generations to come."
 
Moves to reduce quotas are likely also push up prices at Japanese sushi restaurants, which buy almost all of the catch. 

Australia has had the largest quota at more than 5,000 tons a year, while Japan's quota was set at 3,000 tons. Environmentalists think the cuts will help to safeguard a vulnerable species.
 
The meeting in South Korea comes as authorities in Europe consider a ban on catching⁸ and exporting this prized species because of conservation concerns.

1 vessel   

n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管

参考例句：

• The vessel is fully loaded with cargo for Shanghai.这艘船满载货物驶往上海。
• You should put the water into a vessel.你应该把水装入容器中。

2 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

3 seafood   

n.海产食品，海味，海鲜

参考例句：

• There's an excellent seafood restaurant near here.离这儿不远有家非常不错的海鲜馆。
• Shrimps are a popular type of seafood.小虾是比较普遍的一种海味。

4 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

5 quota   

n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额

参考例句：

• A restricted import quota was set for meat products.肉类产品设定了进口配额。
• He overfulfilled his production quota for two months running.他一连两个月超额完成生产指标。

6 quotas   

（正式限定的）定量( quota的名词复数 )； 定额； 指标； 摊派

参考例句：

• In fulfilling the production quotas, John made rings round all his fellow workers. 约翰完成生产定额大大超过他的同事们。
• Quotas of the means of production are allocated by the higher administrative bodies to the lower ones. 物资指标按隶属关系分配。

7 retailer   

n.零售商(人)

参考例句：

• What are the retailer requirements?零售商会有哪些要求呢？
• The retailer has assembled a team in Shanghai to examine the question.这家零售商在上海组建了一支团队研究这个问题。

8 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。