Here’s a bit of hot gossip, that I am typing from Paris , where I’m with a gaggle of Greenpeace campaigners at a summit on sustainable seafood.
It seems that something is stirring in the Mediterranean . Bluefin followers will be familiar with the ‘will-they/won’t-they?’ saga that surrounds the EU countries and supporting and international ban on Atlantic bluefin.
But, just to be sure – I’ll summarise:
- Atlantic bluefin stocks have crashed and some predictions show the species becoming commercially extinct in just a few years.
- Monaco proposed that the species should be protected by an international trade ban under CITES (which also protects similarly endangered animals like gorillas and tigers).
- In July 2009, President Sarkozy announced France would support Monaco and the trade ban.
- The UK , Germany , Netherlands , Austria and Poland followed suit, declaring their support for a ban. As did the European Commission.
- Then, in September 2009, the EU Member States voted formally on whether to support the trade ban, but were blocked by the six Mediterranean nations (Italy, Spain, Malta, Greece, Cyprus and France – who it seemed had had a change of heart).
- So, the decision was postponed…
Fast forward to today, and here we are again still waiting for an agreement.
And the news is sounding rather positive. It’s been widely reported that Italy has taken a decision to support the trade ban. This is great news, and has been backed up with news today that Italy is officially seeking to suspend its own bluefin fishery.
That, in itself, should mean there is now no effective blocking minority amongst Mediterranean countries. But there are other rumours too that France may be changing its position (again) and will imminently announce its support for listing under CITES (here it is in French media).
So, prepare yourself for a shock this week. Europe might just step up to defend Atlantic bluefin after all. There’s a long way to go of course, and ultimately it will need the support of two thirds of the countries attending the CITES meeting in March. But the EU represents a bloc of 27 votes, and also represents many of the key fishing nations for the species – so the backing of the EU will be a huge step toward making a ban a reality.
If you want to help make sure that does happen – and give bluefin the protection it so desperately needs - then why not encourage the UK Fisheries Minister to make a public stance too.
Meanwhile, I’ll be keeping my ear to the ground in Paris for any seismic shifts.
Take action
