There was new evidence early this week that the world has not yet absorbed just how deeply humans have depleted our “exhausted oceans.” At the latest meeting of the International Com-mission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, created under a treaty 42 years ago to manage shared fisheries in that ocean, European govern-ments ignored a strong recommendation from the group’s own scientific advisers for deep cuts in some harvests of the Atlantic bluefin tuna. On its face, that would seem to be a strange develop-ment considering that the organization’s Web site says flatly: “Science underpins the management decisions made by I.C.C.A.T.”

But such moves seem unremarkable, for now, in a world seeking to manage limited, shared natural resources while also spurring economic growth—whether the resource is the global atmosphere or an extraordinary half-ton, ocean-roaming preda-tor. The European stance—insisting on a harvest in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean 50 percent above the limit recommended by scien-tists—was sharply criticized by environmental campaigners, marine biologists and United States fisheries officials. Some biologists criticized the United States, as well, for playing down the role of American fishers, both recreational and com-mercial, in destroying the once-bountiful fishery.

But the biggest focus was on Europe. Biologists and American fisheries officials blamed Euro-pean governments for failing to shrink the huge fleets of boats from France (771), Italy (619), Spain (441), England (331) and elsewhere that are acknowledged, even by Europe, to be too large for the fishery. Environmental campaigners have repeatedly reported on rampant, enormous illegal catches in European and international waters, as well. Given that tagging studies have shown that the half-ton tuna can roam the full span of the At-lantic in seeking breeding and feeding grounds, the European position is widely seen by fisheries specialists as sending the fabled species spiraling further toward outright collapse. At the center of the fight, spurred largely by the worldwide sushi trade, is one of nature’s most magnificent, and endangered, experiments—a transatlantic torpedo that can sprint at highway speed while warming its brain with energy from its muscles.

The European Commission said it was “pleased with the consensus” at the meeting.

I sought a reality check from Carl Safina, the not-ed marine biologist, founder of the Blue Ocean Institute, and prize-winning author of books on tuna, albatross and sea turtles.

He noted that the situation for the bluefins that frequent the American side of the Atlantic was in many ways worse than for those on the European side. Here’s how he described the continuing dev-astation of one of the world’s great, if underappre-ciated, predators (bold-face highlighting by me):

　　This Western stock is in much worse shape than the east, even though all the finger-pointing has gone to the problems of east-ern excess, which are indeed major. But the Western 　　stock is going extinct while everyone complains about the east. The problem is overfishing in both places.

The fact is that for years the quota in the West has also been much too high, due to commercial and recreational fishing indus-try lobbying. And we continue fishing in the spawning area. (Earlier this month I lost a long-running lawsuit against N.O.A.A. to close the Gulf to gear capable of catching bluefins during the spawning season.) It’s all subject to limits but the limits are too high. If they weren’t too high, we would not have the problems. So we have a collapsed western stock and a rapidly declining eastern stock because of greed all around.

U.S. boats have been catching a small fraction of their quota (about 10 to 15 percent of what they’re allowed) in recent years. That percent of the quota will increase as the quota comes down, making things look better. But the quota remains higher than the catch, so the quota is not a limit. It’s like limiting your pasta intake by reducing your limit from 10 pounds of spaghetti per meal to five pounds per meal. Nobody is eating five pounds, so it’s not a limit.

I.C.C.A.T. has always been broken, and the tradition of ignoring the science and insist-ing on higher quotas was set 25 years ago by Western fishing interests. That tradition remains alive on BOTH sides of the ocean, and the indignant rhetoric by the Western fishing interests masks their own hypocrisy. No country has ever done the right thing toward maintaining these fish, though the U.S. comes closer. But still, the quota will be reduced to a level higher than the catch, so it’s all still meaningless....

　　The fishing on this side of the ocean is in tat-ters. The big runs of autumn, the “tuna fever,” the great herds of fish thundering across the blue prairies as they rounded Montauk, t　　hat’s all gone. This was by far the worst year ever. But then, that’s true every year. What was different this year was that in addition to bluefin, yellowfins and albacore were nearly absent, too.

　　What’s really needed is a moratorium for bluefin, and I first said that in 1991. That’s the bluefin situation. I must say that based on their whole history I would have been as-tounded if I.C.C.A.T. had set an eastern quota that complied with the science. I’m ashamed of what they do, but no longer surprised.

We had a separate discussion about sharks, and one move by the commission that could help one species. But Dr. Safina pointed out how incon-sequential that initiative is given the continuing devastation of shark populations in the Atlantic and worldwide.