EU nations fail to agree on bluefin tuna ban

[September 22, 2009]  BRUSSELS (AP) -- European Union nations have failed to agree on a ban on fishing bluefin tuna despite an appeal to do so from the EU head office.

Stocks of the iconic threatened bluefin have dwindled for years. It has been ferociously hunted in the Mediterranean as a key ingredient in the world's finest sushi dishes.

The European Commission said Tuesday that EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas "regrets" the failure of the 27 EU governments to support the ban.

The tuna's precarious status has driven up prices and prompted fishermen to sidestep stringent quotas to fish illegally. The European Commission wants to impose a temporary ban until the stocks have recovered.

Conservation groups condemned the EU failure.

[Associated Press]

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