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THE European Union has warned member states not to buy any bluefin tuna caught by Libyan vessels or from Libyan waters.
One reason is the current civil war in the country which makes it nearly impossible for observers to monitor catches. The Mediterranean is one of the area of the world where the bluefin tuna fishery is under the most severe threat and there have been calls for bans throughout the entire sea.
Another reason is that the Libyan authorities, such as they are in the current circumstances, have not provided any data on catch rates as they are required to do so under international regulation.
It was just a few weeks ago as the tuna fishing season drew closer that the European Commission said it had officially asked the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna (ICCAT) to impose a ban on tuna fishing in Libyan waters or by Libyan trawlers.
With no international observers aboard Libyan vessels to document the catches "bluefin tuna caught by the Libyan fleet will be well on track to be deemed illegal," said EU fisheries commissioner Maria Damanaki.
European Union law prohibits the trade, landing, import, export, and transhipment of bluefin tuna without proper documentation, she said."I therefore urged EU Ministers to monitor the fishing activities of these vessels," Damanaki said in a letter to fisheries ministers from the 27-nation EU, adding that no EU boats will fish in Libyan waters.
Near neighbours Malta also expressed concerns at the time that its own tuna industry could be affected by an EU ban. All the tuna fattened in Malta is usually exported to Japan where the tuna is considered to be a delicacy used for sushi and sashimi.
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