Wednesday, 9th September 2009 - 09:28CET
Blow for Malta bluefin tuna trade
The European Commission has announced a compromise deal that will back attempts to list bluefin tuna as an endangered species because of over-fishing. The move, which will is expected to lead to a ban on international trade in the fish, had been resisted by Malta and EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg.
Environmentalists have welcomed the decision, saying it would allow tuna to recover from overfishing in the Mediterranean. They said that stocks were down to 18 percent of 1970 levels.
Britain, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Austria favour a complete trade ban but the decision had been fiercely resisted by Malta, described in the international press as the 'capital of the bluefin industry' as well as Spain and Italy.
Dr Borg had been calling for time to be allowed for a bluefin recovery plan agreed by the International Convention on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas.
The compromise was reached after Dr Borg backed down and the Commission agreed to back a proposal for a ban, subject to the latest assessment of stocks from Iccat in November. It had been thought that Dr Borg would be outvoted should the issue have come up for a vote in the Commission.
Malta had been resisting the decision because of its large aquaculture sector, which relies heavily on bluefin tuna exports.
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Comments
Your comments are right, however not entirely correct regarding the rabbits in Malta. The local industry in this instance relies heavily on imports of rabbits from California and New Zealand, which indicates that we made the rabbit extinct over here for quite some time ago.
Of course we can import Tuna so the Maltese can still savour the fish but we cannot breed catch and export it for now for the reasons rightly so outlined by the EU directive.
There are a large number of pans 12-15km off Malta.. The main issue is not the proximity to the coast but the fact that purse -seiners clean up wherever they fish and leave nothing behind. Very efficient but that leaves no young to grow up to become adults. It is not one nation doing this - boats sell to the highest bidder, regardless of nationality.
If you kill of the migrating patterns, then eventually there won't be any left that will be able to recreate the cycle. Do you want your children's children, or worse, your children to ask " What's a Tuna ?"
I certainly dont..
I love eating Tuna but I would rather forgo it than watch it become extinct. And just because everyone else is doing it doesn't make it right to do it too.. and leaving the EU just to carry on Tuna fishing? ...not even worth commenting on!
As far as I know, a couple of years ago, a Japanese company had highlighted the plight of the blue fin tuna. These people don't normally care a lot about wildlife, therefore if they said that blue fin tuna stocks have dwindled to a point beyond recovery, this is something! We cannot continue ignoring all warnings, some day or another we have to face this situation.
Having stocks at 18% of 1970 is a blasphemy. Mr Joe Borg should ensure the survival of this species. This cannot be done by reducing a small percentage of the quota. Only a total ban may help this species.
A good indication of the health level of our sea is the level of jellyfish around. Year after year jellyfish are continuously invading beaches. Why? Isn't one factor being the lack of large fish which normally eat these jellyfish? This problem with dwindling stock is not just Blue fin tuna, it is on several large species. Blue fin tuna is being discussed only because of the large commercial interest!
unluckily Malta proved otherwise when it came to really show its mettle
I think this will be good for the entire trans-Atlantic region.
Now, after all these years, we are dumped with a bunh of super rich individuals, complemented by polluted bays and seabed, beyond any immediate "repair", and which are no longer enticing to the tourists we really depend on.
An in the meantime, the Minister and Government on whose watch all this short-term illusion was perpetrated, still retain their posts, pension and all - complemented by a "free" periodic yacht trip with such poor fish farm magnates!
isn't it about time that we clean our bays and shores from such abuse?
If not, who will ever shoulder the responsibility, and cough out money for the priceless that we are losing?
Agree with you.
The problem is not Maltese fishermen but mostly Spanish fishermen who destroy every fishing ground they are allowed to fish in. Ask the British how they destroyed the north Sea fisheries including British fisheries.
One aspect which is not being considered is that although the eu may ban Tuna fishing, other non-member States will continue fishing because they cannot be controlled.
This is not to say that the fish farms should not be moved to at least 12 nautical miles out at sea because they are polluting our sea and beaches which is not only detrimental for us Maltese citizens but also for the other goose that lays the golden egg, tourism. That is why they were not allowed to be set up in other countries.
I totally agree.
Yesterday I asked a woman was she selling a kilo of Lampuki; she told me Eur8. We are a family of 5 and we have to buy at least 2 kilos (Euro16). I can't afford to pay Eur16 for 2 kilos of Lampuki.
Guess I have to forget about eating Lampuki again this year!
The selfishness of some people is remarkable. The Mediterranean has been over fished due to a lack of restrictions, for which we're paying the consequences now. What the EU are trying to do is secure the future of the Tuna Fishing Industry by not letting countries such as Malta, Italy, and Spain wipe out the Tuna industry forever.
Let's talk about land based now. What if we wiped out the rabbit population in Malta? No more fenkata tradition and heritage. Wouldn't you want to do something to prevent it?
Don't be so short sighted.
at this rate tomorrow's fishermen won't have any blue fin tuna left to fish and the local aquaculture industry would fail
better cut down for a while, allow fish to recover, fish sensibly and ensure stocks for future