EU bans bluefin tuna fishing

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's executive on Wednesday banned bluefin tuna fishing in the Mediterranean and eastern Atlantic for the rest of year as EU fishermen had caught the bloc's full 2007 quota of the endangered fish.

"Clearly there are problems both of overfishing a stock already threatened with collapse and of equity between the member states concerned," EU Fisheries Commissioner Joe Borg said in a statement.

The European Commission said the ban affected Greece, Malta, Portugal and Spain as Italy and France had already closed their fisheries. The EU quota this year was 16,779 tonnes, it said.

Demand for bluefin tuna is high because it is especially popular in sushi and sashimi dishes. Unlike most types of tuna, bluefin grow slowly and mature late, making them more vulnerable to intensive trawling.