EU confirms support for bluefin tuna trade ban
Posted on March 11, 2010
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European Union ambassadors agreed to propose protecting bluefin tuna as an endangered species on Wednesday, the EU presidency said, a move that would effectively ban international trade in the species. Scientists say stocks of the Atlantic bluefin — which can fetch $100,000 each at market — have fallen by more than 80 percent over the last 40 years to around 3.2 million. A meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) will take place from March 13 to consider a number of species, including bluefin tuna, elephants and polar bears.
The agreement reached by EU governments, based on a proposal from the European Commission last month, will be formally adopted by EU energy ministers meeting in Brussels on Thursday. The ambassadors attached a number of conditions to the EU’s support, including a one-year delay to the ban on fishing that normally follows an ‘endangered’ listing, and an opt-out for “artisanal” fishermen using small boats to supply local markets. Governments also promised to consider paying financial compensation to EU fishermen affected by a possible ban on catching the fish which is used mainly in sushi — a concession designed to win the support of countries with domestic tuna fisheries.
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