The UK has become the latest country to support for an international trade ban on endangered Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna.
“The Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery is collapsing and the breeding population will disappear by 2012 unless we take immediate action to protect this iconic species,” said Sally Bailey, Marine Programme Manager, WWF-UK.
WWF welcomed the announcement by the fisheries minister Huw Irranca-Davies calling it a great step forward for the protection of this overexploited species.
“We are delighted that the UK minister is taking a strong stance on bluefin tuna, and urge the government to encourage other countries to follow this lead and support the proposal to ban international trade in the species. This is our last chance to save bluefin.”
The UK’s announcement came after France and Monaco’s calls to list the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), before it disappears forever from the seas.
CITES contracting parties next confer in Doha, Qatar 13-25 March 2010, but proposals need to be submitted by 17 October to be eligible for consideration at the Conference of the Parties.
Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is in big trouble, and the fishery is insufficiently policed.
Contributing to the species’ dramatic decline are the huge overcapacity of fishing fleets, catches that far exceed legal quotas, pirate fishing, the use of illegal spotting planes to chase tuna, under-reporting of catch, fishing during the closed season, management measures that disregard scientific advice, all driven by the insatiable appetite of the world’s luxury seafood markets where bluefin tuna fetches record prices.
“In terms of eligibility for a listing on CITES Appendix I, Atlantic bluefin tuna ticks every box, and then some,” said Dr Susan Lieberman, director of WWF’s Global Species Programme. “CITES contracting parties would surely regret failing to protect this commercially overexploited species, and an icon of the oceans, from collapse on their watch, while they have this historic chance.”
Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean said: “Fisheries managers have failed to get to grips with the complex fiasco of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery. WWF hopes to see a sustainably managed and thriving fishery in future, but to enable this recovery the species must be given a breather, if the world does not put the brakes on its voracious appetite now, an amazing species and fishery could be lost forever.”
“The Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery is collapsing and the breeding population will disappear by 2012 unless we take immediate action to protect this iconic species,” said Sally Bailey, Marine Programme Manager, WWF-UK.
WWF welcomed the announcement by the fisheries minister Huw Irranca-Davies calling it a great step forward for the protection of this overexploited species.
“We are delighted that the UK minister is taking a strong stance on bluefin tuna, and urge the government to encourage other countries to follow this lead and support the proposal to ban international trade in the species. This is our last chance to save bluefin.”
The UK’s announcement came after France and Monaco’s calls to list the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), before it disappears forever from the seas.
CITES contracting parties next confer in Doha, Qatar 13-25 March 2010, but proposals need to be submitted by 17 October to be eligible for consideration at the Conference of the Parties.
Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is in big trouble, and the fishery is insufficiently policed.
Contributing to the species’ dramatic decline are the huge overcapacity of fishing fleets, catches that far exceed legal quotas, pirate fishing, the use of illegal spotting planes to chase tuna, under-reporting of catch, fishing during the closed season, management measures that disregard scientific advice, all driven by the insatiable appetite of the world’s luxury seafood markets where bluefin tuna fetches record prices.
“In terms of eligibility for a listing on CITES Appendix I, Atlantic bluefin tuna ticks every box, and then some,” said Dr Susan Lieberman, director of WWF’s Global Species Programme. “CITES contracting parties would surely regret failing to protect this commercially overexploited species, and an icon of the oceans, from collapse on their watch, while they have this historic chance.”
Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean said: “Fisheries managers have failed to get to grips with the complex fiasco of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishery. WWF hopes to see a sustainably managed and thriving fishery in future, but to enable this recovery the species must be given a breather, if the world does not put the brakes on its voracious appetite now, an amazing species and fishery could be lost forever.”
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