Despite the devastating fire, a hearing will be held in Narbonne on 9 and 10 July for bluefin tuna victims of illegal overfishing
While bluefin tuna are fighting for survival in the Mediterranean Sea, the French Federation of Sea Fishing (FFPM) and the Narbonne Wholesale Fishing Association (ANPG) have come up with nothing better than to devise a fraudulent system to allow illegal overfishing of these animals. Between 2017 and 2020, many of them ended up on the stalls of the tuna markets held every year in Narbonne. On 9 and 10 July, we are defending them in the judicial court of the sub-prefecture of the Aude region.
A fragile marine biodiversity…
Long in danger of extinction, bluefin tuna are still classified as near threatened by the National Inventory of Natural Heritage (INPN), even though they are acknowledged as one of the pillars of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. To remedy this situation, recreational fishing for these animals is regulated by annual ministerial orders defining the fishing seasons and maximum catch quotas.
… which the fishermen ignore
But in Narbonne, the authorisations already granted were clearly not enough for some fishermen eager to wrest ever more animals from their environment. This was the finding of the French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) when it discovered the tuna fishing events held annually in the city. Where did all these fish come from? There was room for doubt, and the OFB’s investigation ultimately revealed that between 2017 and 2020, many of the fish sold at these events had been the object of a system of downright organised fraud set up by the French Sea Fishing Federation and the Narbonne Big Game Fishing Association. For years, the two organisations encouraged recreational fishermen to break the rules using well-oiled methods. To carry out these raids unnoticed, all they had to do was falsify their declarations, starting with using the same tag for several tuna instead of just one. To top it all off, they took advantage of the annual tuna festivals to illegally sell their unfortunate catches…
A deadly pastime
For the accused, even the slightest concern for the suffering of the fish seems to be too much. When they are not forcibly removed from their habitats to entertain Sunday fishermen, they may also be subjected to experiments in which the use of electric fishing is not ruled out. And these cruel practices do not stop there, as many birds also suffer under them.
For the tuna illegally killed in Narbonne, to speak out on behalf of all fish victims of similar acts, and to protect the sea, we will be appearing in court in a civil suit on 9 and 10 July 2025.