歐洲一些科學家警告，地中海不永續的漁業作法再不停止，黑鮪魚很有可能滅絕。過去數十年來過度漁撈下來，已使這種大型迴游魚類極速減少，歐盟執委會正表達對其族群數量的「嚴正關切」。
9月下旬，歐盟國家部會首長已提出議案，考慮將黑鮪魚納入管制野生物貿易的《華盛頓公約》（CITES）管制名單之下。CITES預計2010年3月13至25日於杜哈召開第15屆締約國大會，若此提案獲得通過，國際間禁止交易黑鮪魚的禁令將自動生效。不過，在9月21日的ㄧ次表決中，歐盟27個國家對此呈現兩極化意見。
如果要確實將此提案納入CITES下次大會討論，今年10月17日是提案截止日期。
摩納哥是全世界第一個禁止黑鮪魚販售的國家，也是率先提出此動議的國家，其後，英國、荷蘭、德國與奧地利紛紛表態願意跟進。
而希臘、塞浦路斯、馬爾他、西班牙、義大利等擁有大型漁船的國家則表示反對。
身為歐盟行政機構的歐盟執委會，立場傾向摩納哥。環境執委狄瑪斯（Stavros Dimas）認為「這是保護大西洋黑鮪魚的重要一步……我們必須依據當下最佳的科學證據來行動，科學家已表明緊急行動的必要性，以保護這種極具指標意義的海洋生物。」
歐盟執委會環境理事會一份文件草案寫道：「不論從科學與技術觀點來看，大西洋黑鮪魚的存續評估指標似乎已接近了列入瀕危物種的程度。而國際貿易與過度取用的關係是無庸置疑的。」
大西洋黑鮪魚活動在東、西大西洋與地中海的大型迴游魚類，地中海產卵也是其每年春季的產卵地。黑鮪魚在世界各地都被視為珍品，特別是在高檔壽司方面。每年有大約80%的地中海黑鮪魚出口到日本市場，價格由後者決定。根據歐盟執委會資料，2007年從歐洲輸出到日本的黑鮪魚達30000噸。
在日本，每尾黑鮪魚價格從2000到50000美元不等，視其大小、季節與肉質而定──脂含量越高越值錢。有時後買家甚至會出更高的價格。例如1月在東京築地魚市場，一名香港的日本料理店老闆和日本人競標，結果雙方協議共出15.3萬美元共同買下，在日本海域上平分一條黑鮪魚。
鮪魚一般重達500公斤左右，一度在地中海隨處可見，但現在這麼大型的已相當少見。如今，漁民通常只能捕獲還不能繁殖的小鮪魚，以人工養大後再出售。
Bluefin tuna is at risk of extinction as a species if unsustainable fishing practices in the Mediterranean are not stopped, scientists and some European countries are warning.
The European Commission has expressed its "grave concerns" about the state of stocks of the giant migratory fish, which are rapidly declining after decades of overfishing.
Last week, European ministers were considering a proposal to protect the bluefin tuna by listing the species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES.
Such a listing, if accepted by the upcoming 15th session of the Conference of the Parties to CITES scheduled for March 13-25, 2010 in Doha, Qatar, would automatically implement a temporary ban on all international trade.
But in a vote September 21, the 27 EU countries were sharply divided and could not agree on a CITES proposal to protect the bluefin tuna.
In order to be considered at CITES's next Conference of the Parties in Doha, proposal submissions must be received by October 17, 2009.
Monaco, the first country in the world to ban the sale of bluefin tuna, spearheaded the CITES proposal. The UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria have all publicly indicated their support for the ban.
But another group of European countries opposes a ban, mainly countries with large fishing fleets such as Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Spain, and Italy.
The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU government, backed Monaco's CITES proposal.
Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas called it "an important step in the protection of Atlantic bluefin tuna."
"We must act on the best scientific evidence available to us," said Dimas, "and scientists say that urgent action is needed to safeguard the future of one of the ocean's most emblematic creatures."
"From a scientific and technical point of view, the criteria for the listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna as an endangered species appear to be met," reads a draft document by the European Commission's environment directorate. "There is no doubt about the link between international trade and overexploitation of the species."
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a large migratory fish found in the western and eastern Atlantic and in the Mediterranean Sea, where the tuna come every spring to spawn.
Bluefin tuna is prized around the world, usually eaten as high-grade sushi. Some 80 percent of Mediterranean tuna is exported to the Japanese market, which dictates prices. Some 30,000 tons of bluefin were sent from Europe to Japan in 2007, according to the European Commission.
In Japan, the price of a single bluefin tuna can range from US$2,000 to $50,000, depending on the size, the season, and the fat content - fatty tuna is the most desirable.
Once in awhile, a buyer will pay even more. At the daily fish auction at Tokyo's Tsukiji market last January, a Hong Kong sushi bar owner and his Japanese competitor agreed to share a giant bluefin caught in Japanese waters. They also shared the cost - $153,000.
Tuna weighing up to 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) were once found throughout the Mediterranean, but now such large fish are rare. These days, fishermen often catch small tuna before they can reproduce and place them in net cages to be fed and fattened until they are big enough for sale.
全文及圖片詳見：ENS
