Scientists back bluefin tuna trade ban: Greenpeace and WWF

Scientists back bluefin tuna trade ban: Greenpeace and WWF

by Staff Writers
Madrid (AFP) Oct 29, 2009
Scientists who advise fisheries regulators support a ban on trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna, a sushi staple, to protect the species from over-fishing, environmental groups WWF and Greenpeace said Thursday.

International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas scientists concluded that the species' "current spawning biomass is less than 15 percent of what it once was before fishing began, meaning Atlantic bluefin tuna meets the criteria for a CITES Appendix I listing," they said in a statement.

An Appendix I listing by CITES, the United Nations agency against illegal wildlife trade, would mean a total ban on international trade in bluefin tuna.

"Further the scientists' analyses confirmed that a suspension of commercial fishing is the only measure with a substantial chance of ensuring that the stock no longer meets the criteria for CITES Appendix I by 2019," the statement added.

Contacted by AFP, the ICCAT, whose headquarters is in Spain, was not immediately available to confirm the report.

ICCAT scientists met in Madrid last week to discuss their findings, which will be taken into account by national governments and environmental protection agencies to base their restrictions on capturing bluefin tuna.

Last week the European Union gave its provisional backing for a worldwide ban on bluefin tuna fishing, which would throw the huge market for Japanese sushi into turmoil.

Atlantic bluefin tuna are mainly caught from countries around the Mediterranean Sea, but most of the meat is consumed in Asia, particularly Japan.

Some 80 percent of Atlantic bluefin tuna fished out of the Mediterranean ends up in the Japanese market
.

The next ICCAT meeting is scheduled for November in Recife in Brazil.

Scientists back bluefin tuna trade ban: Greenpeace and WWF
www.seeddaily.com/reports/Scientists_back_bluefin_tuna_tr...

FARM NEWS
http://www.seeddaily.com/Farm_News.html