April 15, 2010

EU backs tighter measures on bluefin tuna supply chain

The EU Fisheries Committee this week voted to back a measure requiring a paper trail for bluefin tuna throughout the supply chain to ensure complete and reliable traceability.

The resolution comes less than a month after Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) delegates cancelled a proposed Appendix I listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna, which would have suspended international trade of the species to protect it from overfishing.

The Fisheries Committee vote transposes rules adopted by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), of which Europe is a member, into EU rules.

"The aim is to thwart overfishing and allow better control of stocks," said the European Parliament in a statement, adding that the rules ensure better traceability in line with ICCAT's latest rules.

Under the measure, all bluefin tuna must be accompanied by a documentation indicating catch data (name of the vessel or trap, flag state, volume of the catch and where and how the fish was caught).

The paper trail must also include shipment information (vessel names, port, product details); farm information (name, date of caging, estimated amounts); harvest information (date, number of fish, tag numbers); and trade information (product description, point and destination of export, shipper's details).

According to the European Parliament, the measure includes a ban on trans-shipping to prevent mislabelling of the origin of the fish.

The bluefin tuna quota for European fishermen was slashed from 22,000 tonnes in 2009 to 13,500 tonnes this year.