EU Acts To Save Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna
By Nick June 17, 2008
The European Union (EU), through its executive arm, the European Commission, has clamped down on bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic. The ban came in the wake of overfishing activities that threaten “stock collapse†of the prized bluefin tuna.
Craved for by sushi lovers all over the world, the bluefin tuna has fallen prey to heavy exploitation by countries belonging to the EU. These countries’ fleets recklessly do their fish hunting to the extent of marking excesses in the EU’s international catch quota. If left unrestricted, bluefin tuna may soon go extinct.
The strong urge to persistently net bluefin tuna can be traced to the globally high demand for the fish. In Japan, its market price has been estimated to reach $100,000 for just a single fish. Japan is regarded as the world’s major market for the bluefin tuna. No wonder EU countries Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain have gotten themselves into this lucrative affair.
As of June 16, vessels from any of the aforementioned EU countries will be prohibited from engaging in bluefin tuna fishing in both the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean. The ban takes effect on vessels that make use of the “purse seine†fishing method, which is commonly employed to catch fish that frequent the surface. Examples of these are certain types of tuna, herring, mackerel and sardines.
The European Commission is the EU executive arm that takes charge of regulating fishing quotas and, in this case, tasked to closely monitor unscrupulous bluefin tuna exploitation.
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