New data released today by WWF, the global conservation organization, reveals that bluefin tuna has almost been totally fished in some of the Mediterranean’s oldest fishing grounds.

Catches around Spain’s Balearic Islands in the western Mediterranean, for example, are down to just 15 per cent of what they were just a decade ago. Only 2,270 tonnes have been fished there this year — mainly by French and Spanish fleets — compared with 14,699 tonnes in 1995.

The data also reveals that Mediterranean bluefin tuna farms — which would usually be filling up by this time of the year — have experienced substantial decline. From 2006’s catches of wild Mediterranean tuna, some 22,520 tonnes have been put in captivity and farmed, a 25 per cent reduction compared to 30,000 tonnes farmed last year. Six Spanish tuna ranches have already ceased operating altogether because there were simply no more tuna.

The findings support a recent WWF-commissioned report — The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005: Uncovering the real story — that explains how huge illegal activity is plundering the last remaining bluefin tuna, providing even more indication that collapse of the species may soon follow.

“The new data points to the risk of economic collapse in the Mediterranean bluefin tuna fishing and ranching sector,” warns Roberto Mielgo Bregazzi of the Advanced Tuna Ranching Technologies and author of the WWF bluefin tuna report.

“The Mediterranean bluefin tuna species is under threat and many jobs in the tuna fishery are being jeopardized. The situation is alarming.”

WWF is urging the European Commission to support a strict recovery plan for the fishery, including: closure of industrial fishing during the spawning season to save the last reproducing fish; improved real-time monitoring of fishing and farming activities; compulsory observers on board all tuna vessels and in tuna farms; and the setting of a scientifically-based minimum catch size.

WWF is presenting the findings on the 2006 fishing season today at the European Parliament’s Fisheries Committee, which is holding a special hearing on the bluefin tuna crisis. On this occasion, fishermen from the traditional tuna trappers’ association in Spain are joining WWF, calling on to the EU to take immediate action.

“We fear for our jobs,” said the association’s Director General, Marta Crespo Márquez. “The EU has still not reacted to repeated warnings from scientists and we are looking to our elected representatives to take their responsibilities seriously.”

The European Commission will represent EU Member States at the ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) meeting in November. As one of the most important players in the decision-making process, the EU can push for the protection of the Mediterranean bluefin tuna from further decline.

END NOTES:

• The bluefin tuna fishery season starts in April/May when the fish swim into the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic to spawn. Traditional tuna trappers catch them on their way into the sea. From May/June larger scale fishing methods are used to catch the fish in the high seas, which are then either transferred to tuna farms or transported directly out of the Mediterranean to the Japanese or other markets. The current closed season for the fishery is 15 July to 15 August. Tuna caught after this time is destined for Euro-Mediterranean consumption.

• The study — The plunder of bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005 – Uncovering the real story — was conducted for WWF by independent consultancy Advanced Tuna Ranching Technologies (ATRT).

• ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) meets for its annual plenary meeting in Dubrovnik, Croatia, from 17–27 November 2006.

For further information:

Caroline Alibert, WWF European Policy Office

Tel: +32 2 740 0936

Email calibert@wwfepo.org

Gemma Parkes, WWF Mediterranean Programme

Tel: +39 346 387 3237

Email gparkes@wwfmedpo.org