Minister to protect bluefin tuna

The Minister for the Environment, Deputy John Young, has signed a ministerial decision to protect Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus) stocks in Jersey water. 

The ministerial decision will amend the Conservation of Wildlife (Jersey) Law 2000 to add Atlantic Bluefin Tuna to list of species that cannot be caught in Jersey waters. The list currently includes agile frogs, hedgehogs and Jersey bank voles. 

The regulation will come into force later this year and will apply to all those fishing in Jersey waters, and will include fishing vessels from France and the United Kingdom.

Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is listed as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. The IUCN recommends species recovery as a means of protecting the species.   

Minister for the Environment, Deputy John Young, said: “By prohibiting the landing of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Jersey is joining international efforts to protect the stock for generations to come.”