Bluefin tuna trade ban gains EU backing
source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8560896.stm
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- jefftego
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The EU has decided to support a ban on international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, reports indicate.
The bloc is reported to have agreed to push for a ban at next week's meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The US has already backed such a move, but Japan - where most bluefin is eaten - may opt out of CITES controls.
Last year, scientists commissioned by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat) said the bluefin's decline had been so stark that a ban was merited.
The stock is now at about 15% of the level it was in the era before industrial fishing began.
Most bluefin is sold to Japan for use in sushi and sashimi restaurants. Under a CITES ban, EU member states would not be allowed to export bluefin caught in their waters to Japan, and would not be able to fish in international waters.
However, conservationists and some EU countries have been concerned that other Iccat countries around the Mediterranean - the principal fishing ground - could also opt out of a CITES ban.
That would allow those countries to continue fishing and exporting the tuna to Japan.
The CITES meeting, in Qatar, opens this weekend.
The bloc is reported to have agreed to push for a ban at next week's meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).
The US has already backed such a move, but Japan - where most bluefin is eaten - may opt out of CITES controls.
Last year, scientists commissioned by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (Iccat) said the bluefin's decline had been so stark that a ban was merited.
The stock is now at about 15% of the level it was in the era before industrial fishing began.
Most bluefin is sold to Japan for use in sushi and sashimi restaurants. Under a CITES ban, EU member states would not be allowed to export bluefin caught in their waters to Japan, and would not be able to fish in international waters.
However, conservationists and some EU countries have been concerned that other Iccat countries around the Mediterranean - the principal fishing ground - could also opt out of a CITES ban.
That would allow those countries to continue fishing and exporting the tuna to Japan.
The CITES meeting, in Qatar, opens this weekend.
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fun_size
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Dammit Japan! They really need to cut back on their seafood intake. They still eat whales for chistsake...
- 1 year ago
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fun_size
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vaxart
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Become a VEGETARIAN, don't kill animals - man can survive really fine with vegetarian food and may end up being healthy too.
- 1 year ago
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vaxart
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fun_size
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vaxart:
People dont NEED to be vegetarians... we just need to be more aware of what were eating. Overfishing to the point of extinction should be an easy fix...
- 1 year ago
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fun_size
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pukemnukem
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How is this going to be enforced? There is plenty of illegal fishing (especially in Africa) by China and Japan that no one seems to care about. Exactly how would the entire Atlantic Ocean be patrolled and regulated. This seems doomed to failure.
- 1 year ago
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pukemnukem
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nicsansone
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This seems fishy if you ask me...
- 1 year ago
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nicsansone
