According to WWF, major fish buyers in Japan and Europe are threatening to boycott Mediterranean bluefin tuna unless drastic measures are taken to protect the threatened stock.

Major Japanese retailer Seiyu has declared it will not buy bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean as long as stocks are in danger of collapse. And restaurants in Europe have already stopped buying Mediterranean bluefin tuna.

“We see the Mediterranean bluefin tuna issue as a matter of serious importance,” said Kazunari Take, Corporate Social Responsibility Manager of Seiyu. “We are closely monitoring the situation and will act responsibly as befits our industry leader position.”

In the UK, sushi restaurant chain Moshi Moshi has stopped serving bluefin tuna as a direct response to the critical situation of stocks in the Mediterranean.

“We replaced bluefin on our menus with other tuna species, such as yellowfin, albacore and bigeye, and sushi lovers still keep coming,” said Caroline Bennett, founder and owner of Moshi Moshi. “If we eat too much bluefin tuna today, there will be none left tomorrow.”

Delegates from the 42-nation International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which is responsible for regulating the fishery, are meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia next week to discuss conservation and management measures for the fishery.