Despite the calls from more than 13,000 Passport holders and 17 retailers and organizations – including Sainsbury's, Coop, the Metro group and Slow Food International – the European Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels was unable to reach agreement on the management of the seriously imperiled bluefin tuna fishery. Instead discussions were postponed to its next meeting mid-June, which will be too late for tuna.

It is shocking that in the face of scientific opinion, and the voice of growing numbers of retailers and thousands of world citizens, the EU has failed yet again to impose vital measures to save bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean.

The only option now is an emergency closure of the fishery. WWF is pressing the European Commission to exercise emergency powers and follow through on its commitment to close the fishery now the Council has failed to reach agreement.

Meanwhile WWF has congratulated fishing nation Norway's bold move to ban the fishing of bluefin tuna by its fleets as a last-ditch attempt at conservation, in light of the critical situation of the stock.

In its bold refusal to accept the gross mismanagement of this fishery, Norway has put EU fishing nations to shame. International scientists have stated repeatedly that Mediterranean bluefin tuna is at substantial risk of stock collapse – yet the EU continues to close its ears.

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