A conservation body has approved a quota to protect the overharvested Mediterranean swordfish

A conservation body grouping 50 fishing and shipping nations, approved a quota to protect the overharvested Mediterranean swordfish, the European Union and activist group Oceana announced Monday.

The limit was set at 10,500 tonnes for 2017 at a meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) in Vilamoura, Portugal. It will be lowered by three percent per year from 2018 to 2022.