Push to ban trade in endangered bluefin tuna

Scientists, politicians and wildlife groups are pressing to restrict the sale of bluefin tuna; a move likely to be opposed by Japan, the world”s main purchaser of the fish.

It was one of the most expensive fish ever sold. A few weeks ago, a giant bluefin tuna achieved a price of 16.3m yen – about £111,000 – at auction in Tokyo. The rich, buttery taste of the tuna”s flesh made the 513lb fish irresistible for one group of restaurateurs. The bluefin”s fillets ended up on hundreds of sushi platters across Tokyo within hours of the sale. But deals such as these may soon become a thing of the past. Scientists, politicians and wildlife groups are pressing for trade in the bluefin tuna to be restricted at the forthcoming meeting of Cites, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, in Doha, Qatar.

In particular, they want the Atlantic bluefin, the species that is suffering most from overfishing, to be given appendix-1 status by Cites when it convenes next month. The proposal, put forward by Monaco, would end trade in the tuna between European fishing fleets and Japan, the world’s main purchaser of the fish. Not surprisingly, Japan is expected to oppose the ban, the bluefin being a prime ingredient for sushi… Read Full Article