Bluefin tuna boycott threat

Major buyers in Japan and Europe, responding to fears of an imminent collapse of bluefin tuna stock in the Mediterranean, are considering a boycott unless drastic measures are taken to protect the threatened stock, according to WWF, the global conservation organisation.

Major Japanese retailer Seiyu has declared it will not buy bluefin tuna from the Mediterranean as long as stocks are in danger of collapse.

Meanwhile restaurants in Europe - Moshi Moshi in the UK and Memento in Spain - have also stopped buying Mediterranean bluefin tuna, according to the WWF.

Seiyu is one of the largest retailers in Japan, with 211 shops and a turnover of some €4.5 billion. Japan is the first market for Mediterranean bluefin tuna in the world, where the fish is highly prized for sushi and sashimi.

Moshi Moshi stopped serving bluefin tuna in direct response to the critical situation of stocks in the Mediterranean, WWF said.

Delegates from the 42-nation International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which is responsible for regulating the fishery, are meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia, next week to discuss conservation and management measures.