According to reports in the Mexican press Mexico will continue to attempt to export its tuna to the European market. This was the main target for the visit of the fishery chief of the Mexican National Commission for Aquaculture and Fishery, Ramon Corral Avila, to his counterparts in Italy and Spain during a work-related mission in Europe. The fishery chief was accompanied by important Mexican industrialists.
Corral Avila met with the Italian sub-secretary of Fishery, Paolo Scarpa, and the Spanish secretary general of Maritime Fishery, Juan Carlos Martin and successfully obtained the support of both countries in Mexico’s battle against the threat to the Mexican fishery posed by the ecological group Earth Island Institute by their campaign to boycott and ban imports of Mexican tuna into the United States and the European Communitarian markets.
EII argues that Mexican tuna does not comply with dolphin protection regulations. The EII Dolphin Safe label is not part of the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP), of the Intern-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC).
In Italy, Corral Avila received the support of the country’s sub-secretary, who asserted he would issue an official communiqué to local supermarkets confirming the validity of the AIDCP dolphin Safe label. Furthermore, the commissioner received Scarpa’s commitment to cancel the current 24 % import tariff on Mexican tuna in the European trade. This could be the fist step toward the abolition of the tuna embargo, which already exists now for a full decade.
In Spain, Corral Avila received the backing of the country’s general secretary regarding the entry of precooked tuna loins Mexico and agreed to maintain close and open communication to resolve fishery issues of interest to both countries.
Source: Mexican Press