The United States has canceled the tuna embargo it imposed in 1994 to El Salvador after verifying that the Central American country has ceased the net fishing practice that endangers dolphins.
El Salvador has now become the third country in the world exporting canned tuna to the United States.
Reports said the United States is convinced that El Salvador has done what are required to preserve the Pacific dolphins and respects the rules of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission.
US ambassador to El Salvador, Douglas Barclay, announced the end of the tuna embargo, when handing over to the Salvadorian Minister of Agriculture, Salvador Urrtuia, the authorization for the export to the US of yellowfin tuna caught by vessels with Salvadorian flag and added that this “will create new trading opportunities for the companies related to this industry.â€
Mr. Barclay explained that the US suspended the imports of tuna in 2000 to countries fishing with driftnets and not complying with the norms established by the Protection of Marine Mammals modified in 1994.
Mr. Barclay also said that this authorization will allow the country to strengthen its fishing industry because the US consumes 28% of the total world tuna offer, which represented 46 million cartons in 2001.
The United States only imports tuna fish from Mexico, Ecuador and El Salvador, which has an annual output of 20,000 tons. Last year the Spanish Calvo Group made significant investments in the tuna sector in El Salvador, one of their intentions being to target the U.S. tuna market. Calvo operates in El Salvador with two vessels, which have a total capacity of 3,200 tons.
The value of the annual tuna production in El Salvador reaches the amount of USD 23 million, which is generated by four companies dedicated to the tuna industry.