Round One Tuna Victory For North West MEP

Campaigners seeking to protect the endangered bluefin tuna, beloved of sushi eaters across the world, are claiming a first round victory after the European Commission came out in support of a total ban on its trade.

But North West Euro-MP Chris Davies warns that getting Brussels to back the inclusion of bluefin tuna on the list of endangered species is only a first step.

He said: "The value of this fish goes up as its numbers come down. With so much money to be made from it there is a great deal of illegal fishing and strong political opposition from Japan to a worldwide trade ban."

The proposal to include bluefin tuna on the list of endangered species that cannot be traded will be discussed by governments representatives at a meeting in Qatar next March.

The world's largest environment charity, WWF (Worldwide Fund for Nature) has praised the North West MEP for his work to date.

In a letter, WWF's international director Tony Long, claims that the MEP's personal intervention brought pressure to bear on European Commissioners. "So intense was the lobbying from those opposed...that without your help I doubt this agreement would ever have been reached," he said.

The Liberal Democrat MEP has said that working for a complete reform of Europe's Common Fisheries Policy is one of his priorities for the next five years.

Davies said: "Bigger fishing boats equipped with modern technology are hoovering up all the fish in the sea. If we don't make changes to ensure that we fish in a sustainable manner there will be no fish to eat, no jobs for fishermen, and hunger for millions of people across the world."

Text of letter sent to Chris Davies by WWF about his actions in helping to save the blue fin tuna.

Dear Chris

I wanted to thank you for your support in ensuring that the European Commission adopted on 9 September the proposal that the EU "provisionaly" support Monaco's proposal to list Atlantic blue fin tuna on Annex 1 of the CITES Convention.

Your personal intervention brought pressure to bear on Commissioners and their staff to ensure that the Commission reached a positive agreement. So intense was the lobbying from those opposed to the CITES listing, inside and outside the Commission, that without your help I doubt this agreement would ever have been reached.

But this is just the first step to securing the protection of Blue Fin Tuna. That final vote on listing under Annex I of CITES will be in Qatar, in March 2010. There are many interests looking to derail what you have helped to bring about.

Some EU governments openly oppose the Commission, such as Malta, France and Spain. The support of other countries like Germany is still in question. We will have a clearer picture when governments vote on the Commission*s proposal on 21 September at a CITES comitology Management Meeting in Brussels. If, as seems likely, there is not a qualified majority to support the Commission, the Environment Ministers will need to personally decide at Environment Council on 23 October or 21 December. We understand that Japan, which lobbied so hard against the Commission*s proposal, is working to block its adoption by EU governments.

I hope very much that we can continie to count on your continued support. As we enter the comitology process, it is even more important that the survival of Blue Fin Tuna is decided in public and not simply through deals in corridors or in the sidelines of committee meetings.

The 27 votes the EU brings to the CITES meeting in Qatar in March 2010 will decide, one way or the other, if Blue Fin Tuna is a symbol of the failure of the Common Fisheries Policy or the legacy of true European leadership. Again, thank you for your personal support.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Long
International Director WWF