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IN defiance of international regulation, European vessels have been seen illegally fishing for bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean – after the July 1 closure of the fishery, WWF, the global conservation organisation has claimed.
According to intelligence from WWF field sources, an Italian fleet of industrial vessels set sail from Malta to operate in the Strait of Sicily supported by a spotter plane during the first days of July. Boats tugging cages were also on hand to transfer any fish caught to Croatian tuna farms.
WWF has submitted the information to the new European Commission, the European Community Fisheries Control Agency, and Italian authorities. The issue is currently under investigation.
“This illegal fishing activity would fly in the face of international legislation,” said Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean.
“The European authorities should investigate such piracy as a matter of urgency.”
WWF is highly concerned about the management of the bluefin tuna fishery in Mediterranean waters. It says the management measures currently in force are far too weak to enable long-term stock recovery and must undergo a radical overhaul at the next meeting of ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) in Turkey in November.
WWF is calling on the new Portuguese Presidency of the EU to push forward the bluefin tuna issue at ICCAT for the urgent revision of management measures. It says this week’s evidence of non-compliance in Mediterranean waters by EU fleets adds even greater urgency to the case.
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