Sting in the tail for bluefin ban

The ban on fishing for bluefin tuna adopted yesterday (6 June) must stay in place for the rest of the year, according to environmentalists.

The ban was adopted by the European Commission in the light of evidence that bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic are being pushed towards extinction by over-fishing. It will come into force on 10 June.

But if governments agree a new tuna fisheries management plan at a 12 June Environment Council the ban will be lifted again.

"What does it mean to have a two-day ban?" said Caroline Alibert of WWF, a conservation group. "We will only be pleased with this ban if it stays in place until the end of the year, and prompts a proper revision of the management plan."

France, Spain and Italy have so far blocked agreement on the management plan by calling for an increase in fishing rights for bluefin tuna. The ban was adopted as an emergency measure and will stay in place until 31 December, unless the deadlock is broken.

Most bluefin tuna is caught in June. The summer months are also the spawning season for tuna. Scientists from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) have recommended closing bluefin tuna fisheries in June, to give stocks time to recover.

Alibert said there should also be a minimum catch size of 30 kilograms and a downwards revision of the catch quotas suggested by the management plan, which are almost twice as high as those proposed by ICCAT.

A French diplomat said that her country’s government was trying to find a solution in time for the Council meeting.

"We are doing as much as we can, with the Comm-ission, presidency and the other delegations, to find a solution acceptable to all parties," she said.

The ban on fishing for bluefin tuna adopted yesterday (6 June) must stay in place for the rest of the year, according to environmentalists.