Brussels, 10/09/2009 (Agence Europe) - Spain and Italy have cautiously welcomed the plan put forward by the European Commission on Wednesday 9 September, to ban the marketing of bluefin tuna. France would prefer bluefin tuna to be listed in appendix 2 of the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), less restrictive than appendix 1, which bans all trade.
“Currently it would seem reasonable … to await the results of the latest scientific studies which will be published in October 2009 and analysed by stakeholders at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), scheduled for November, before adopting other conservation measures, such as a temporary ban on catches with conditions attached,” says a Spanish Agriculture and Fisheries Ministry press release. In Spain, several coastal regions depend on this fishery, the Ministry says, and it states that some 200 vessels are authorised to catch bluefin tuna.
Spain would appear, like France, to prefer that bluefin tuna be listed in CITES appendix 2, assuming that the 2009 scientific data shows that there is a need for such a step. Listing in appendix 2 would mean recognising the threat to bluefin tuna and acknowledging that marketing of this fish had to be better regulated. Furthermore, another consequence of such a step would mean, according to a number of experts, that ICCAT was once again in charge of managing the trade. For environmental NGOs, this would be a failure.
The Italian Under-Secretary for Fisheries said on Wednesday that Italy agreed in principle with the EU proposal to support a ban on trade of bluefin tuna, but that it would await “scientific proof” that the species was in danger of extinction. “If there is a problem (with the resource), then, in principle, the suspension is right,” AFP reported Antonio Buonfiglio as saying. He, too, wants a full analysis of the latest information on the state of the stock at the next ICCAT meeting. “If scientific research shows that there is a problem, we would be in favour of suspension of the fishery, a two-year moratorium,” he added.
In July, French President Nicolas Sarkozy backed a ban on the trading of bluefin tuna. The French position sent to the Commission is nuanced. France would prefer the species to be listed on CITES appendix 2, with a total allowable export (catches) system, based on scientific opinion, being put in place. At the same time, France supports a two-year moratorium for this fishery.
Among the countries that support the ban are the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Poland and Austria. The Commission recommendation will be discussed by member states on 21 September.
The Euro-Mediterranean Professional Tuna Fishermen's Association said in a press release on Wednesday 9 September that making bluefin tuna a species on the brink of extinction and temporarily banning fishing for this species was “a nonsense”. The Association represents 40 Italian, 6 Spanish, 32 French; 25 Greek, 8 Maltese and 6 Cypriot owners. “The bluefin tuna fishery is the most closely monitored and most heavily regulated in the world,” the Association added. (L.C./transl.rt)