Greece. Spain, Malta, Other Med Countries Oppose Temporary Ban On Bluefin Tuna Fishing - Reuters

[hatrack]

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Mediterranean countries have rejected a call by the European Union's executive and northern EU states to ban fishing for Atlantic bluefin tuna until the over-exploited population has recovered. Atlantic bluefin is prized by sushi lovers and commands huge prices in Asia, particularly in Japan where a single fish can fetch up to $100,000.

As a result, industrial fishing by southern European countries has drastically reduced numbers in the Mediterranean and east Atlantic, and scientists warn the population is nearing the point at which it might never fully recover. "We believe that full protection for bluefin tuna is urgent and necessary," said British Environment Secretary Hilary Benn.

EDIT

The EU's executive European Commission said two weeks ago it would support the EU co-sponsoring a proposal by Monaco to list the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) next March. But Spain, Italy, France, Cyprus, Greece and Malta rejected that proposal at a meeting late on Monday, an EU diplomat said. Portugal joined northern European nations by voting in favor of a ban, said another source close to negotiations.

"The blinkered attitude of Mediterranean governments would drive bluefin tuna to extinction and leave fishermen with nothing to fish in just a few years," said Greenpeace campaigner Saskia Richartz. "But countries like Malta and Spain are increasingly isolated," she added. European Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said the species' fate now rested with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) -- a body maligned by environmentalists as failing to protect bluefin.

EDIT

http://www.reuters.com/article/environmentNews/idUSTRE58L1OS20090922?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews

[AngryAmish]

1. THis is enraging

They are all going to be gone if we don't give them a break.

[ladjf]

2. Just like the oyster fishermen if Southern Louisiana oppose

rebuilding the marshes to stop the rapid erosion of coastline. It all a matter of greed.

[imdjh]

3. Anyone who pays $100/lb for fish is an idiot.

[phantom power]

4. I think we should fish them to extinction, thus enforcing a permanent ban.

:woohoo:

[hatrack]

6. No pesky, costly bureaucrats that way - it's What Ayn Commanded!!!

I've just about reached my "Fuckit!" point.

Fine, let these people fish it out and then they can whine and cry and bitch about how no one warned them this could happen.

Let the Reality Stick descend - it seems to be the sole remaining effective teaching method these days.

[phantom power]

7. My thinking these days...

is that no level of consequence will change many people's minds. There's a school of thought along the lines of "well, when we're raising sandworms south of the Mason Dixon line, then everybody will wish they'd listened to us."

But they won't wish that. They'll just take a little cognitive dissonance detour in their minds, chalk it up to Natural Cycles, or God Punishing The Gays, or Glenn Beck will tell them it was really all the Liberals Fault with their Fascist Regulations Getting In The Way Of Free Market Solutions.

It doesn't matter which story. Even after it all goes down nobody will have learned.

[kristopher]

9. I still think advertising the toxicity is the most effective strategy. nt

[phantom power]

10. Couldn't hurt. We should also start a rumor that tuna decreases libido.

[kristopher]

11. That would be effective in Japan. They are HUGE on "stamina" foods. nt

[pscot]

5. Maybe a boycott

would have some effect. If enough people were to refuse to buy Spanish, French and Italian wines, the vintners could be induced to pressure their governments. I know wine and fish seem unrelated, but you can certainly change a man's mind by squeezing his balls.

[kristopher]

8. The ban should be enacted but I had a question.

Where does the "$100,000 for one fish" claim come from?

Here is a smattering a google search on the topic produced. They might be worth reading if you aren't familiar with the situation.

http://www.answers.com/topic/atlantic-bluefin-tuna

http://aquafind.com/reports/TunaReportJapan.php

Somewhat dated but very comprehensive:
http://ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/Marine/mar-5.cfm