Bluefin tuna was on the list of the Eco-Worst seafoods I wrote about earlier today. As it turns out, the World Wildlife Fund is urging retailers to follow the footsteps of several European chains and boycott the fish. In December, the Auchan group in France were the first to announce a ban on the fish, and retailers in Switzerland, Italy and Norway were quick to follow.

“WWF applauds Auchan in France, Carrefour in Italy, Coop in both Italy and Switzerland, and ICA in Norway for their courageous decisions to stop selling Mediterranean bluefin tuna – and we urge other retailers to follow suit,” says Dr Sergi Tudela, Head of Fisheries at WWF Mediterranean. “The seafood industry is waking up to its responsibilities, recognising that there is not an endless supply of fish like bluefin tuna. By taking action now, retailers can help give this amazing species a fighting chance of survival, for the benefit of both business and the marine ecosystem.”

The bluefin tuna are extremely popular for sushi and sashimi, however its high demand has led to a severely depleted population of the fish, who take much longer to mature than most tuna species. The international quota for catching the bluefin tuna is greatly exceeded due to illegal fishing. The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas was approached by the WWF late last year and encouraged to enforce a multi-country three-year ban on bluefin tuna fishing. ICCAT rejected the suggestion, causing retailers to initiatiate their own voluntary bans.

Hit the jump to read the full article and find out more information on the endangered bluefun tuna.

» WWF