Monday, 7th September 2009
A total fishing ban is the only hope for depleted tuna stocks
A major row is brewing in Brussels over the future of Atlantic bluefin tuna as it faces near extinction as a result of over fishing.
Since the 1970s, we’ve seen a 90% drop in tuna stocks. And, overfishing will wipe out the breeding population of bluefin tuna in three years unless catches are dramatically reduced, the WWF has warned.
This autumn, the European Union will decide whether to add bluefin tuna to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), resulting in a temporary ban on its sale across the world.
The trade in bluefin tuna in the EU is worth over £150 million a year, with much of the catch going to Japan. A single bluefin tuna recently sold for over $100,000 in Tokyo, destined for the sushi market.
Several powerful Member States including the UK, Germany, France and the Netherlands have come out supporting the proposal to outlaw tuna fishing. They face stiff opposition from Spain, Italy and Greece. The move has even split the European Commission with the Environmental Directorate backing the ban and the Maritime Directorate in opposition.
Environmental groups such as Greenpeace and WWF have been critical of the failure to protect bluefin tuna stocks. WWF, for example, has called Italy’s tuna industry “totally out of control” and launched a consumer boycott of Mediterranean bluefin tuna.
The next CITES meeting will be held in Doha, Qatar in March 2010, where a common EU position will be sought. It is certainly going to be lively.
Currently, bluefin tuna is not protected under CITES, the only global body which ensures that international trade does not threaten the survival of wild animals or plants. And if an international ban comes into force, bluefin tuna will be banned from international markets although it could still be sold locally.
Man’s insatiable appetite for the meaty tuna has led to its near extinction.
A recent study of bluefin tuna by former fisherman, Robert Mieglo, found that the majority of fish offered for sale were immature, meaning the current population has little chance of recovery because of a shortage of breeding adults.
Bluefin tuna are slow maturing and can live up to 30 years, growing to 7ft in length and weighing up to 770lbs. However, analysis of official data by the WWF showed that the average size of mature tuna had more than halved since the 1990s.
Many of these immature animals are being routinely herded into large offshore cages and fattened until they are ready for slaughter, effectively ending their ability to breed and multiply. There are an estimated 40 tuna ranches of this kind scattered around the Mediterranean.
Illegal fishing is another contributing factor to the rapid decline of the species. Every spring, vast shoals of bluefin tuna pass through the Straits of Gilbraltar heading for warmer Mediterranean waters where they spawn. Each female lays million of eggs.
Hundreds of tuna vessels from countries including France, Italy, Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Libya, Spain and Turkey lie in wait. Some of the Italian boats from Calabria and Sicily are believed to be controlled by the Mafia.
Illegal spotter planes are used to chart the shoals and then tuna boats speed to intercept the fish, using vast purse-seine nets to scoop up entire shoals, which are then killed or herded to fattening ranches.
The European Parliament’s agreement to adopt an urgent recovery plan for tuna in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean is too little too late. Stocks of bluefin tuna are near collapse. It is already recognised as seriously endangered as the giant panda.
The EU has repeatedly ignored scientific advice and bowed to pressure from fishermen, setting quotas too high for bluefin tuna stocks in the Mediterranean. At the same time, fishermen from southern European states have been fishing illegally well above their quotas.
Western stocks of bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico have also seen a consequential drop.
It will be an interesting and lively couple of months. The gloves will be off and a major punch-up will rage in Brussels, with the likelihood that a total ban may finally win majority support. It may be our only hope to save these noble fish for future generations to enjoy.
