Posted on August, 06 2002

Cartagena, Spain - A boat carrying WWF and South-East Naturalist Association (ANSE) representatives, accompanied by a cameraman and a photographer, was attacked yesterday by a boat of tuna farm workers off the coast of Cartagena, Spain. The attack, which fortunately did not result in any injuries, was formally denounced by WWF and ANSE to the local police authorities. Upon reaching the tuna farms off the Cartagena coast to take footage and pictures of the area, tuna farm workers approached the WWF team by boat. After attempts to intimidate them, the tuna farmers deliberately crashed their boat against the WWF team's boat. "This outrageous episode demonstrates how much of a thorny issue tuna farming is, with strong economic interests at stake," said Sergi Tudela, Fisheries Officer at the WWF Mediterranean Programme Office, who was amongst the attacked team. "WWF urges the EU to push for strict regulations of this unregulated activity and, at a minimum, to issue a moratorium on the development of new tuna farms in the Mediterranean." Tuna farming in the Mediterranean is a new practice involving bluefin tuna being caught, put in cages and fattened to improve the oil content of its flesh. Tuna is then sold, mainly on the Japanese market where it is consumed as sushi. Considered as a post-harvesting practice, tuna farming falls outside the regulations put in place by the European Union, General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), resulting in an unregulated growth. Last year, the 12 tuna farms operating in the Mediterranean region produced 11,000 tonnes of tuna, compared to almost nothing five years ago. The Murcian coast of Spain is the biggest producer of fattened captive tuna in the world. Six authorised facilities are currently operating in the area with three new facilities going through the EIA (environmental impact assessment) process. Tuna farms are also located in Croatia, Italy and Malta, while France, Tunisia, and Algeria are interested in developing this activity. For further information: Carlos Vallecillo Head of Media Relations, WWF-Spain Tel.: +34 91 354 0578 E-mail: cvallecillo@wwf.es Sampreethi Aipanjiguly Communications Officer, WWF Mediterranean Programme Office Tel. +39 06 84497224 E-mail: saipanjiguly@wwfmedpo.org Pedro Garcia President, ANSE Tel.: +34 689788515