Pacific tuna meeting fails to agree on cutbacks

“Japan, the world’s largest consumer of bluefin tuna, bears the responsibility to strengthen domestic rules (on fishing),”

"But it's our culture", they cried.

"Pacific island states and countries failed on Friday to strike a deal to protect shrinking supplies of tuna and adopt cutbacks..."

Should read: "Japan fails to agree with Pacific island states and countries..."

When you have no rational argument, when you have no facts to support your case, when your position is indefensible, say "It's our culture" and stomp off like a child. Then pretend you're the victim instead of the culprit.

Works every time.

But, don't stick it all on Japan. why not it Blue Fin Tuna which is endangered of becoming extinct, Japan cant even manage stocks of blue fin tuna, imagine if they started commercial whaling again. Japan doesn't give a shite about ocean conservation

Tuna will follow the Dodo to extinction. 5 days of meetings and they couldn't even come up with a solution or a compromise,but they did mange to arrange the next meeting albeit Japan, solution, sack the negotiators.

"But, don't stick it all on Japan. The US is the world's largest consumer of canned tuna."

Disillusioned: Of which 70% is Skipjack, a small abundant species, and not at all endangered.

I wonder why the Japanese delegation didn't agree to cut backs on tuna catching and then set up a 'research' council to find out just how many tuna there are; and capture the same amount as the year before (for Research, of course), and then sell it cheap at auction. Seems to be the modus operandi for the whale busine... I mean, research.

I remember being told by a coworker not long ago that the problem is the Chinese and others who are now also consuming tuna. That wasn't the first time I'd heard this.

The downright cheek of those countries who consume 30%. How dare they?

Unfortunately we are unlikely to watch reason take over. In my country Canada, we had a Cod fish collapse in 1992 due to our own ecological ignorance. Even with the total collapse of the fish stock, fishermen were still fishing Cod! It was nuts. We thus enacted a Cod fish moratorium albeit far too late after we decimated the fish stock, which to this day will still not have recovered to its former glory. We acted too late and frankly with zero regard for the abundance of the planet around us. Blind to ecological and financial future ruin.

I always hope that our failure would be a useful lesson of the cost of hubris and denial of science in the face of government policy and cultural norms that all were destroyed, but unfortunately the lesson remains hard to accept for too many. I don't envy the fate Japan has set for itself.

This is another case where a nation could become a leader in fish management given rich fishing history of our planet but we remain steadfast to ruin it. This is the case for all maritime countries, and the same opportunity to change. If only Japan and others could see

"“Japan, the world’s largest consumer of bluefin tuna, bears the responsibility to strengthen domestic rules (on fishing),”

Exactly, but I know a number of people here who honestly believe that JAPAN is entitled to THE WORLD'S tuna -- ALL of it! -- because "it's our culture!", and that if it becomes extinct it is due to the greed of other nations for not leaving it all to Japan.

I was gobsmacked. He honestly believed what he was saying, and anything you said to try and counter it was, "You're pushing your culture on mine!" and finally, "If you don't like Japan, please leave," despite saying nothing of the sort. There are even people who take offense when you point out the fact that Japan consumes 70% of the tuna in question.

You are asking humans to stop being greedy.

It's a big ask.

Tuna is way too cheap in Japan. It should be doubled in price at least and that might act as a control.

Those people deserve as much blame as Japan does - we need people to cooperate together for conservation what so Japan consumes 70% of the world blue fin tuna, pays the highest prices for them and they cant agree on a reduced quota even when stocks are at 2.6% of what they once were. And Japan wants to pass half the blame on everybody else. LMFAO Sorry Japan has clearly shown time and time again it doesnt give a shite about ocean conservation, especially if it gets in the way of its pride, culture and dinner plate!!

Japan's "But, it's our culture" line is not quite true. Never, was it part of Japanese "culture" for young kids to sit at kaiten-zushi shops and grab maguro as if it were growing on trees. When I was a kid (once upon a time...) kids did not eat maguro because it was expensive and considered a delicacy. The father would (once in a while as a treat) eat maguro sashimi and have a beer after a hard day's work. One of his kids would then climb onto his lap in hopes of getting a piece of the maguro. That's the way it used to be. Maybe that's the way it should be once again.

You could have alternate rest years, everyone gives up bluefin for a year. Like some cities do with cars allowed to be driven every other day based on even/odd license plate numbers.

Weren't some companies or institutes looking into establishing offshore tuna farms?

Like everything else about taking care of the environment, nobody can agree on what obviously needs to be done so nothing'll change until it's too late.

Potatoes for everyone! Better get used to it now

When you have no rational argument, when you have no facts to support your case, when your position is indefensible, say "It's our culture" and stomp off like a child. Then pretend you're the victim instead of the culprit.

THEN, when the tuna becomes extinct, the Japanese will shrug their shoulders and throw up their arms and say....you guessed it.....SHOGANAIIII !!

I never understood the appeal of tuna. Canned, sashimi or otherwise. It's a pretty bland tasting fish as far as my palate goes. Salmon, on the other hand, is much more tasty to me, especially eaten raw.

Japan really is the last country that should be making ANY proposals until it gets it's whaling fleet permanently anchored in harbor.

I

This will never stop

But, don't stick it all on Japan. The US is the world's largest consumer of canned tuna. Many marine biologists believe it is already too late to save the tunas of the Pacific. The populations have dwindled to point where they are in danger if crashing completely. The gene pool of the fish has diminished to a point where one disease could wipe them al out. It's already been documented that the fish are getting smaller due to over fishing of the larger healthy specimens leaving only the genetically smaller specimens to replenish the populations. Tuna is doomed! If the tuna die, the oceans die along with them.

This article is half ass. Is it talking about all tuna species or only blue fins?

Blue fins only represents 1~4% of tuna in general. Most are species that are used for tuna cans and cat food. Japanese don't really eat that much canned tunas.

There is no way Japan will agree to more 'moratoriums' after the total scandal that the whaling 'moratorium' has turned out to be. 'Just 5 years until 1990' and today it's 2016, there are hundreds and thousands of minke whales and still the moratorium hasn't been lifted!!!

Where the heck is the 'conservation' there? It's prohibition in disguise.

Maybe there should SHOULD be a tuna fishing moratorium, but given the way the fake conservationists fooled the Japanese into the whaling moratorium I think we can kiss that goodbye. Those people deserve as much blame as Japan does - we need people to cooperate together for conservation