Many major European retailers boycott Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna until the imperiled species is out of danger zone. Taking the advantage of this WWF also urges more retailers to join the ban to get quick solutions. France’s Auchan group, with a nearly 14 percent share of the retail fish trade, who joined the boycott on 28 December informed that scientists had advised a 15,000 tonne ceiling on annual catches, while the international tuna management body was allowing a 2008 quota of 29,500 tonnes.
Auchan said that boycott had been taken in line with its policy of pursuing a sustainable trade in fish. Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean, pointed out that WWF applauds Auchan in France, Carrefour in Italy, Coop in both Italy and Switzerland, and ICA in Norway for their support to the boycott and urge other retailers to join the ban.
According to him boycott of bulefin tuna could help give this amazing species a good chance of survival for the benefit of both business and the marine ecosystem. Scientists have declared that if action is not taken at present then the stock of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean will collapse soon.
WWF also suggested retailers to take the matter to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meeting in November that contracting countries agree on a 3-year ban on bluefin tuna fishing, but this move was rejected. WWF exposed that in 2007 the nature of Mediterranean bluefin tuna has been drastically out-of-control. It was time when illegal fishing was in rife.
