Fate of Blue Fin Tuna Decided this Week

Blue fin tuna is the most popular and endanged species of tuna. Blue fin tuna has been fished for millennia although scientific data has shown that between 1997-2007 stocks in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean declined by 60%.

The fate of blue fin tuna hangs in the balance this week as a complete ban on the trade is debated by MEPs. Ahead of a meeting of the Convention for the Protection of Endangered Species (CITES) the European Union must thrash out a position on whether to support a ban proposed by Monaco. The Union is divided although recently two key states, France and Italy, have swung around behind stopping the trade. The debate on Tuesday will be crucial to establishing a consensus.

About three quarters of all Atlantic Tuna ends up on the plates of Japanese restaurants and homes as sushi and sashimi.

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