09 Nov
2006 - Rome, Italy – Responding to fears of an
imminent collapse of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean,
major fish buyers in Japan and Europe are threatening
a boycott unless drastic measures are taken to
protect the threatened stock, reveals WWF.
Major Japanese retailer Seiyu
has declared it will not buy bluefin tuna from
the Mediterranean as long as stocks are in danger
of collapse. And restaurants in Europe have already
stopped buying Mediterranean bluefin tuna.
“We see the Mediterranean bluefin
tuna issue as a matter of serious importance,”
said Kazunari Take, Corporate Social Responsibility
Manager of Seiyu. “We are closely monitoring the
situation and will act responsibly as befits our
industry leader position.”
Seiyu is one of the largest
retailers in Japan, with 211 shops and a turnover
of some €4.5 billion. Japan is one of the world's
largest markets for Mediterranean bluefin tuna,
where the fish is highly prized for sushi and
sashimi.
Through corporate social responsibility,
Seiyu advocates contributing to a sustainable
society and planet by way of intelligent business
activity.
“The merchandise procurement process must have
a perspective for long-term global environmental
conservation,” Take added.
In the UK, sushi restaurant
chain Moshi Moshi has stopped serving bluefin
tuna as a direct response to the critical situation
of stocks in the Mediterranean.
“We replaced bluefin on our
menus with other tuna species, such as yellowfin,
albacore and bigeye, and sushi lovers still keep
coming,” said Caroline Bennett, founder and owner
of Moshi Moshi. “If we eat too much bluefin tuna
today, there will be none left tomorrow.”
Another restaurant, Memento
in Madrid echoes this reaction.
“Bluefin tuna carpaccio was
the most popular dish at my restaurant, but I
have taken it off the menu,” said Karen Bell,
owner of Memento. “We strongly support the urgent
conservation of this magnificent species. I will
not use bluefin tuna in any of our dishes until
I am sure it is sustainably managed and safe from
the risk of extinction.”
Delegates from the 42-nation
International Commission for the Conservation
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which is responsible
for regulating the fishery, are meeting in Dubrovnik,
Croatia next week to discuss conservation and
management measures for the fishery.
If ICCAT fails to agree to the
strict recovery plan for the fishery that has
been recommended by international scientists,
WWF will urge the Japanese government to instruct
all tuna buyers to stop importing Mediterranean
bluefin tuna.
“Consumers do not want to eat illegal and threatened
bluefin tuna,” said Dr Arata Izawa, WWF-Japan's
Marine Programme Officer.
“If ICCAT fails to adopt the
necessary management measures, responsible buyers
will have no choice but to stop importing bluefin
from the Mediterranean if they want the species
to have any chance of survival.”
Gemma Parkes, Communications Officer / WWF Mediterranean
Programme Office
