UN trade forum bites into bluefin tuna debate

Japan, which buys three-quarters of the global catch of bluefin tuna, has lobbied hard in Doha and elsewhere to block the proposal.

DOHA, March 18, 2010 (AFP) - The UN body overseeing commerce in endangered wildlife on Thursday began debating a controversial proposal to outlaw trade in eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna, a sushi mainstay in Japan.

The future of the open-water predator -- and the multi-billion dollar business that depends on its viability as a species -- could both be hanging in the balance when the measure comes up for a vote.

That moment could arrive as soon as Thursday afternoon, though it is likely to be put off until next week, said delegates to the 175-nation Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), meeting in Doha until March 25.

Up to now, so-called Appendix I status -- which bans cross-border trade -- has been primarily reserved for iconic fauna such as big cats, primates and elephants rather than a mainstream commercial species.

Japan, which buys three-quarters of the global catch of bluefin tuna, has lobbied hard in Doha and elsewhere to block the proposal, which must be approved by two-thirds of the approximately 150 nations in attendance.

Tokyo has said it can count on support from China and South Korea, and African delegates confirm that their backing has also been solicited.

Opponents of the Appendix I listing acknowledge the species is in trouble. Bluefin stocks in the Atlantic and Mediterranean have crashed, with populations declining by up to 80 percent from only three or four decades ago.

But they argues that CITES is the wrong tool for helping bluefin numbers recover, and that carefully managed fishing can continue at the same time.

Top Japanese negotiator Masanori Miyahara said the solution lies with stricter oversight by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the inter-governmental fishery group responsible for tuna stocks in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas.

"ICCAT is the only basis for sustainable management," he told AFP earlier in the week.

The United States and the European Union, which backs the ban, counter that ICCAT has repeatedly failed over the last 30 years to enforce its own quotas, and can no longer be entrusted with the species' future.

"We have got to the point where the collapse of stocks in the wild is inevitable," said Patrick Van Klaveren of Monaco, which submitted the proposal.

"Let's leave the species alone for five or 10 years to give it a chance to avoid certain catastrophe," said Van Klaveren.

Proponents fear a tactical manoeuver that could trigger a vote Thursday, preempting further discussion and a possible compromise.

"I hope we can have a real debate based on science, and not proceed directly to a vote," said one European negotiator, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Only about 40 countries have openly supported the ban so far, according to non-governmental ogranisations tallying the potential vote.