The Japanese Fisheries minister, representing three quarters of the global bluefin tuna consumption, has come out strongly against a trade ban on the threatened species, common in sushi.
A meeting of the parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in Doha, Qatar, on 13-25 March will decide on a proposed inclusion of bluefin tuna in CITES Appendix 1, which would, in effect, mean an international trade ban.
The European Parliament, the EU Commission and several Member States, including France and Italy which have important tuna fisheries, have come out in favour of a trade ban. Other Mediterranean nations, such as Spain, Greece, Cyprus and Malta, still oppose, and the Commission is now working on bringing the ministers together for a joint position before the Doha conference.
Japan’s Farm and Fisheries Minister Hirotaka Akamatsu, however, said recently that his government’s answer to the proposed trade ban is ‘a clear no”, and a senior negotiator for Japan fisheries now tells the AFP news agency that Japan may “take a reservation” and ignore a ban if it is passed.
According to the spokesmen, Japan prefers “other mechanisms” for making the bluefin tuna fisheries more sustainable.