Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 10 • Number 4 • 5th March 2010

Japan Defiant as EC, US Throw Weight behind Bluefin Tuna Ban

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With only a week left before countries begin discussions on whether bluefin tuna should be classified as a species that is “threatened with extinction,” the US has announced it will join a growing number of countries calling for a trade ban. But shortly following the announcement, Japan - the world’s largest importer of bluefin - said it may not comply with the international treaty if it blocks the country’s access to the fish.

Backing from the Obama administration to add the fish to Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is the second major announcement in as many weeks. On 22 February the European Commission also recommended that the 27 EU member states offer their support for the ban under the condition that an implementation delay suggested by France be observed.

For years, conservationists have argued that the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the regulatory body responsible for bluefin tuna stocks, is incapable of adequately managing the industry. And the recent move by the US shows that the Obama administration now agrees.

“The regulatory mechanisms that have been relied upon have failed to do the job,” said Tom Strickland, the Interior Department’s assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. “We are literally at a moment where if we don’t get this right, we could see this very, very special species really at risk for survival.”

If CITES member states vote to add bluefin tuna to Appendix I at the organisation’s 13-25 March Conference of the Parties (COP 15), it would effectively ban all international trade in the fish between the 175 CITES member countries. Some 80-90 per cent of the global bluefin tuna catch is exported to Japan, where it sold as a premium dish in restaurants.

EU position still unclear

With more than 50 per cent of the total bluefin catch quota, European countries along the Mediterranean play a major role in the industry. France surprised many by agreeing to support the ban, but Paris’ condition that an 18 month delay in implementation has frustrated environmental groups (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 5 February 2010, http://ictsd.org/i/news/biores/69843/).

Most European countries now support the move, with the notable exceptions of maritime countries Greece, Malta, and Spain. But the European Commission ratcheted up pressure on the outstanding member states by recommending that all EU countries back the CITES Appendix I addition.

“The Commission is deeply concerned that overfishing of Atlantic bluefin tuna driven largely by international trade is seriously depleting stocks of the species,” reads a 22 February press release. “The Commission considers, on the basis of the most recent scientific data available, that Atlantic bluefin tuna should be included in Appendix I of CITES.”

But despite the positive momentum provided by the EC position, critics say the Commission’s acceptance of France’s 18 month delay is not in line with their stated concern. “If the EU is serious about respecting scientific advice - as it claims - it should support an immediate closure of the bluefin tuna fishery as well as a ban in the international trade of bluefin tuna instead of imposing conditions and delays,” said Raül Romeva, a European Green MEP.

France says the delay is needed to conduct scientific testing to confirm whether bluefin tuna stocks are at dangerously low levels, but green groups say the measure does not conform to CITES practices and is actually meant to appease local fishing communities with elections on the horizon.

“The best available data of barely four months ago already demonstrates as clear as day that stock levels are under 15 per cent of historical levels,” said Sergi Tudela, head of the WWF Mediterranean’s fisheries programme, referring to analyses published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and ICCAT itself.

In order for the 27 EU member states to come together as a unified voting bloc in Doha, they will first have to meet at a European Council meeting between representatives of all member state governments. Some observers say this could happen as late as 15 March - after the opening COP 15.

US support a “turning point”

The US had offered preliminary support for bringing bluefin tuna to CITES based on their assessment of ICCAT’s adoption of adequate control measures. But despite reeling in catch quotas from 22,000 tonnes in 2009 to 13,500 tonnes for 2010 and decreasing the purse seiner fishing season by one month (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 27 November 2009, http://ictsd.org/i/news/biores/62325/), the US has concluded that more needs to be done.

“We recognize that the parties to ICCAT took some unprecedented steps,” Strickland said in a news release. “However, in light of the serious compliance problems that have plagued the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean fishery and the fact that the 2010 quota level adopted by ICCAT is not as low as we believe is needed, the United States continues to have serious concerns about the long-term viability of either the fish or the fishery.”

The move by the Obama administration has drawn sharp criticism from fisheries supporters in the US who say that they are being forced to pay for the illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IIU) fishing practices of other countries.

“Even though our fishermen have operated under the strongest conservation measures in the world, if this CITES listing is approved they will have to pay the price for all the other bad actors’ failure to control harvest levels,” said Olympia Snowe Senator, a Republican senator from Maine, a state with a large fishing industry. “I fail to see the logic in supporting a policy that will penalise our fishermen for their contributions to the long-term sustainability of this critical species.”

Several observers have called Washington’s support for the ban a “turning point” on the road to Doha. However, their vote alone at COP 15 will not be enough to see the proposal adopted.

To be accepted, a proposal requires the backing of two thirds of the 175 CITES member countries. Some observers have speculated that Japan could try to muster support from smaller countries in exchange for generous foreign aid packages. But supporters say the momentum seen so far should help bring more countries on board.

“If the biggest Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing nation in the world, France, and the EU - whose fishing industry has the highest stakes in this fishery, holding more than 50 per cent of total catch quota - can decide to support a CITES Appendix I listing for the sake of preserving the fishery and the tuna, Europe should be able to convince the rest of the international community to follow,” Tudela said.

Given Tokyo’s signal that it may register a reservation on the ban - which in practical terms means it could engage in trade with any other nation that also files a reservation - some countries may be enticed to become one of the few suppliers of bluefin tuna to the world’s biggest market. But while some North African Mediterranean countries, such as Libya, have been known to flout international consensus on fisheries rules, experts say most will follow Europe’s lead.

In addition to supporting bluefin tuna being added to Appendix I, Washington is also pushing Appendix II listings for six shark species and red and pink coral. Such a designation closely monitors and regulates international trade of a species but does not impose a ban.

More information

The EC press release can be accessed here: http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/10/172&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en

The press release from the US Department of the Interior can be accessed here: http://ictsd.org/downloads/biores/p-r-tuna.pdf

ICTSD Reporting. “U.S. Backs Proposed Trading Ban on Bluefin Tuna,” THE NEW YORK TIMES, 3 March 2010; “U.S. backs international trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna,” THE WASHINGTON POST, 4 March 2010; “A Move to Save the Bluefin Tuna,” TIME, 4 March 2010.