Din l-Art Helwa has applaued the European Parliament's decision in favour of an international trading ban while allowing traditional coastal catch to continue.

"This is a considerable step forward in the process of including blue fin tuna in the list of endangered species established by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which would automatically result in a ban on international trade," it said.

Din l-Art Helwa said breeding stocks may already have been depleted beyond the point of no return and this step was undoubtedly the only one that could be taken to save the species.

However, it deplores the government's position to oppose the trade ban, favouring, instead, the guidelines set down by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT).

"These guidelines attempt to control the amount of blue fin tuna caught by fishing fleets thus keeping breeding stock levels at sustainable levels.

"Din l-Art Helwa maintains that past evidence has unequivocally shown this policy to have been a failure, so much so that stock levels have been consistently diminishing year on year and now stand at only15 per cent of the levels present when industrial fishing began, leaving the species in serious risk of extinction."