MADRID, Oct. 30 (UPI) -- A scientific panel has recommended a ban on taking Atlantic bluefin tuna, saying suspending the catch is the only way the species can recover.
The scientists, associated with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna, made the recommendation after a meeting last week in Madrid. They will make their recommendation to ICCAT next month, the BBC reported.
Atlantic bluefin, prized for sushi in Japan, are one of the most valuable commercially fished species. The scientists said current stocks have a biomass about 15 percent of what it was in the past.
Monaco made a formal recommendation Oct. 14 to suspend commercial fishing of Atlantic bluefin under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The World Wildlife Fund welcomed the scientists' finding.
"What's needed to save the stocks is a suspension of fishing activity and a suspension of international commercial trade -- this is the only possible package that can give this fish a chance to recover," said Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. "We must stop mercilessly exploiting this fragile natural resource until stocks show clear signs of rebound and until sustainable management and control measures are firmly put in place."
