But the WWF’s study, citing “official trade and customs databases” as its source, found that between 2000 and 2010, approximately 14,327 metric tons (MT) of processed Atlantic bluefin — the equivalent of 18,704 MT of live bluefin — were traded via Panama without being reported.
The study also implicates Mediterranean countries including Spain, Italy, Morocco, Tunisia and Turkey. In some cases, the study found, the tuna was simply exported without being reported from those countries to Panama for consumption, but the study also found Panama often re-exported the tuna to Japan, as much as 13,730 MT of processed fish.
“This is the first ever study on this issue and it probably shows only the tip of the iceberg,” said Dr. Sergi Tudela, head of the WWF’s Mediterranean Fisheries Program. “We finally managed to get the proof of a situation that has been acknowledged for many years even by ICCAT itself.”
The unreported trade peaked in 2003 and 2004, with 3000 to 4000 MT per year, but the study found transactions going on through 2010. In a statement, the WWF urged the nations involved to conduct their own inquiries to verify the findings.
“If confirmed, it would fully qualify as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing according to the United Nations’ FAO standards and would equal environmental crime,” Tudela said.
According to the WWF, the Mediterranean bluefin fishery has been overfished in recent years, due in part to Japanese demand. Much of the unreported tuna trade was bound for Japan, the study found, and was not even recorded in Panama customs.
