Tuna ban rejected

The attempt to ban international bluefin tuna trade failed miserably yesterday after Japan managed to convince the majority of states at the UN's Convention of Endangered Species (CITES) to ditch the proposal.

Monaco's proposed ban failed to garner the required support from the convention's 175 countries convened in Doha, Qatar.

In a first vote, an amendment moved by the EU that weakened the Monaco proposal - although still endorsing the ban - was def-eated by 72 votes to 43.

Malta, the only EU member state to declare outright opposition to the ban, had to vote in favour in line with the Union's decision to take a common stand on the issue.

Libya then called for a snap vote on the original proposal and only 20 states supported the ban, with 68 voting against. Member states of the EU, which had been unwilling to support an outright, immediate ban, abstained. The ban needed at least a two-thirds majority to be approved.

In an immediate reaction following the news from Doha, the European Commission said it was disappointed and warned that if no immediate measures were taken to control over fishing of this species, bluefin tuna stocks would soon collapse.

"The EU proposal was a strong commitment towards a sustainable future for the bluefin tuna and for fishermen. We regret that other parties were not convinced of the merits of such a listing," Environment Commissioner Janez Potocnik said.

"We remain convinced that stringent measures are needed to ensure the recovery of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

"The EU remains committed to the objective of safeguarding bluefin tuna stocks and we look to ICCAT to take its responsibility and ensure that stocks are managed in a sustainable way. If action is not taken, there is a very serious danger that the bluefin tuna will no longer exist."

Malta, on the other hand, was satisfied with the outcome, given that the ban would have dealt a possibly fatal blow to this important local industry.

Maltese fishermen are not considered to be the culprits in overfishing, as they still use artisanal methods which are not as devastating as those used by the industrial fleets of Italian, French and Spanish fishermen.

However, the island has become a main hub for tuna fattening in the Mediterranean, before the fish is shipped to Japan for sushi and sashimi production.

Fisheries Minister George Pullicino said Malta would continue to insist on more regulation that protects the species under stringent ICCAT rules, which protect the interests of all parties involved in the fishery.

The Maltese tuna industry was up in arms against the EU's position in support of the ban and was at pains to reject the scientific evidence that the species is close to collapse.

Naturally, the environmental lobby was unhappy with yesterday's decision. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), which campaigned vehemently in favour of the ban during the past years, called the decision "scandalous".

"After overwhelming scientific justification and growing political support in past months - with backing from the majority of catch quota holders on both sides of the Atlantic - it is scandalous that governments did not even get the chance to engage in meaningful debate about the international trade ban proposal for Atlantic bluefin tuna," the organisation said referring to the snap vote.

According to WWF, ICCAT has repeatedly failed to manage this fishery sustainably and so every pressure at the highest level must come to bear to ensure it does what it should.

Sue Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group, suggested lobbying from the fishing industry was ultimately responsible for the defeat.

"This meeting presented a golden opportunity for governments to take a stand against overfishing, and too many governments failed to do so," she said.

"The market for this fish is just too lucrative, and the pressure from fishing interests too great for enough governments to support a truly sustainable future for the fish."

Japan - the principal consumer of bluefin - had made its opposition to the proposal clear before the CITES meeting started. It argued that commercial fisheries should be managed through bodies such as ICCAT.