According to WWF, the EU has failed to grasp its final opportunity this year to save bluefin tuna from collapse in the Mediterranean.
Yesterday's European Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels has been unable to reach agreement on the management of the seriously imperilled bluefin tuna fishery, postponing discussions to its next meeting mid-June. However, WWF says that this will be too late for tuna and is calling for an immediate closure of the fishery.
Following this non-agreement, the current provisional quota in force for the EU is 9,398 tonnes. WWF points out that this quota is expected to be reached in the next days, and calls therefore for an imminent closure of the fishery by the EU. The European Commission is legally bound to respect its commitment to this provisional quota.
"The only option now is an emergency closure of the fishery," says Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. "It is shocking that in the face of scientific opinion, and the voice of growing numbers of retailers and thousands of world citizens, the EU has failed yet again to impose vital measures to save bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean."
Meanwhile WWF congratulates fishing nation Norway's bold move last week to ban the fishing of bluefin tuna by its fleets as a last-ditch attempt at conservation, in light of the critical situation of the stock.
"In its bold refusal to accept the gross mismanagement of this fishery, Norway has put EU fishing nations to shame," added Tudela. "International scientists have stated repeatedly that Mediterranean bluefin tuna is at substantial risk of stock collapse - yet the EU continues to close its ears. The EU must stand up for sustainable fishing and close the fishery."
