EU: Ban Commercial Fishing of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

On Monday February 22, 2010, the European Union Commissioner for Environment and Commissioner for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries called for a ban on commercial fishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna. This decision was announced during a press conference in Brussels. The EU Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potocnik sated during the press conference that banning commercial fishing if bluefin tuna would not only protect the species, long term sustainable fishery would be preserved as well (Bryant, 2010). In addition, present at this press conference was Switzerland’s WWF Species Program Manager, Wendy Elliot. Elliot stated, “The state of Atlantic bluefin tuna today really is an absolute catastrophe," said Wendy Elliot. "We are seeing a historic decline in the order of 85 to 90 percent, which is huge, obviously. And the driver of that decline has been severe overfishing, mostly for trade in particular to the lucrative markets in Japan” (Bryant, 2010, 6). Elliot also stated that if EU countries sign the proposed ban, the chances of putting bluefin tuna on the U.N. convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) would be greatly improved.


Many environmentalists are excited about this proposed ban. However, commercial fishermen strongly oppose it. The Japanese who consume about 75% of the Atlantic bluefin tuna caught stated that it would not recognize any ban on commercial fishing of bluefin tuna.


Reference:
Bryant, Lisa (2010). European union calls for end to bluefin tuna fishing. Voice of America: Europe. Retrieved February 24, 2010, from http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/europe/European-Union-Calls-for-End-to-Bluefin-Tuna-Fishing-84992562.html

By Oluwaseun Owosekun