Source: AGI
The port authorities of Maddalena in Sardinia, Italy, have found some one thousand administrative violations. Obligatory fishing and trading documents have been falsified for bluefin tuna – a species that is at risk of extinction. Seventy people are under investigation.
An enquiry conducted by Maddalena port authorities has brought to light the vast international bluefin tuna trafficking ring that extends right across the peninsula. About a thousand administrative violations have been confirmed, worth some €4 million.
The fraud, which could involve organized crime groups, was carried out via the avoidance or falsification of the Bluefin Catch Documents (BCD) that are obligatory according to EU law concerning the fishing and trading of bluefin tuna – an endangered species. The EU sets quota limits for each Member State to catch bluefin tuna, which is highly sought-after in Japan where the market price can reach €500 per kilo.