EU Commission Backs Total Ban on Bluefin Tuna Trade

Update: A rear guard action by tuna fishing nations, notably Japan and Spain scutlled a proposal by the European Commission (the executive body of the EU) to suspend trade in bluefin tuna. Disappointed conservationists now pin their hopes on the weak International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna to take action to prevent the extinction of the fish {6.10.09}. Two months ago France's president Nicolas Sarkozy promised to support a ban, but when it came time to vote on the proposal France sided with the Mediterranean members voting to continue the disastrous exploitation.

{9.14.09} The EU Commission has given approval to a suspension in international trade in endangered Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. The proposed ban must be approved by member nation governments. The Commission has agreed to a Appendix 1 listing of the under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITIES). Some members have already called for a suspension of trade. EU nations will decide on the proposal on September 21st at a meeting of the CITIES management committee. The Environmental Directorate's draft report on the condition of the species, concluded that the conditions for such a ban are met, there "being no doubt about the link between international trade and over exploitation of the species."