Italy's bluefin tuna fishing 'out of control'

Italy's fishing of bluefin tuna is "totally out of control," the Worldwide Fund for Nature charged Tuesday, calling for a three-year moratorium on fishing for the species in the Mediterranean. In a statement, the Italian section of the WWF denounced "widespread and repeated lawlessness over the course of years" in fishing for the lucrative species, which is highly prized in Japan.WWF blamed Italy's overfishing on a "lack of control, clandestine fishing boats, unregistered transfers of live tuna to foreign fish farms (and) a presence of organised crime" among other factors.In conclusions addressed to the European Commission and the Italian agriculture and fisheries ministry, WWF recalled the EU decision to halt industrial fishing of bluefin tuna in mid-June, two weeks early, because quotas for 2008 were already reached.But Italy has exceeded the allowed catch for 2008 by "at least 700 tonnes," WWF said.Both Italy and France opposed the decision, questioning the European Commission's figures and asserting that their fishing industries had not reached even half their quotas.Large quantities of fish including bluefin tuna "are not registered at ports when they arrive," WWF said, adding that fish "are also sold illegally on markets infiltrated by the mafia."The environmental group said fishermen also make illegal use of aircraft to spot schools of bluefin.It said 283 Italian boats are plying the waters for bluefin, nearly 100 more than the authorised number.Calling for the moratorium, WWF said 2007 was already a "dire" year for bluefin, with quotas exceeded by 40 percent.An independent panel said last month that the management of bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean was "an international disgrace."After reviewing the performance of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), it recommended an immediate suspension of all fishing for East Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna.Today more than 50,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna are caught every year in the Mediterranean. To prevent stocks from collapsing, that figure should be limited to 15,000 tonnes in the short term, according to ICCAT.