The European Union's executive has provisionally backed a ban on fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna, which has been pushed close to extinction by industrial fishing boats.Prized by sushi lovers and chronically overfished for years, bluefin tuna commands sky-high prices in Asia, particularly in Japan where a single fish can fetch up to $100,000.
The European Commission said it would support the EU co-sponsoring a proposal by Monaco to list the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) next March.
But the EU will not fully commit until its 27 member countries have been consulted on September 21 or before new scientific data emerges in November.
"The European Commission shares many of the concerns expressed by Monaco about the state of stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna," said a Commission spokeswoman. Opposition could come from big tuna fishing nations such as Malta and Italy.
"We welcome that the Commission accepts, at last, the gravity of the bluefin tuna's plight," said Ral Romeva, who represents the European Parliament on the issue. "We can only regret that it still refuses to commit to take the firm steps that are needed to save this fish," he added.
Last year, the European Commission accused France and Italy of breaching their quotas on bluefin tuna fishing.
"Bluefin tuna has become endangered because of disgraceful fisheries management in the EU," said Greenpeace campaigner Saskia Richartz.
The main problem is caused by industrial vessels that use a purse seine net, which floats the top of a long wall of netting on the surface while its bottom is weighted under the water.
Europe has a two-month season for the six EU states -- Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain -- that fish in Mediterranean and east Atlantic waters with purse seiners.
Commission experts say the EU's fishing capacity is so large, and bluefin trawling activity so concentrated in one month, the EU quota can be exhausted in two days of fishing.
Source : REUTERS
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