France: "We Want Our Tuna!"
June 28, 2008 by Allison Boyer
Filed under Business
Recently, the EU announced a bluefin tuna fishing ban that would affect fisheries all over the continent. The bluefine is an important “cash crop” so to say, but the species is disappearing at an alarming rate.
France is pissed.
According to an interview on the BBC’s Le Journal de Dimanche, French Fisheries Minister Michel Barnier believes that the ban was placed harshly on their country and that it was, overall, not based on facts.
The problem here, in reality, is that thousands of people could be out of jobs, or at least laid off during the bluefin tuna season. It also means a major economic blow to the entire country. It isn’t a matter of wanting to see bluefin on the menu at local French restaurants.
However, it sounds to me as though Barnier and the fine fishmen/women of France are failing to see the big picture here. Like many fish, it we overfish today, we won’t have them around tomorrow. So really, it is an option – a tough few seasons to learn to regulate the numbers better or a few more good fishing seasons and then…nothing…forever. Once they’re gone, they’re no bringing them back.
Trust me, I feel bad for the fishing industry and the men and women who will undoubtedly be losing their jobs over the next few years, not just in France, not just in Europe, but everywhere. The ocean seems to large that it feels impossible to overfish any species, but the fact of the matter is that this industry went under-regulated for too long…and now humanity is paying that price.
You can read more about this story here.
