Sostenibilità ambientale ed economica nella produzione di tonno rosso mediterraneo:la ricerca di una nuova soluzione di equilibrio

The economic sustainability of bluefin production is strictly correlated to the increasing protection of environmental sustainability of the sector, regulated at international level through the quota instrument. The studies conducted recently, have opened discussions on the division of the total allowable catch (TAC) considering the opportunity of establishing a new allocation of the (TAC) in favour of the other hemisphere, determining the reduction of bluefin production in the Mediterranean sea. This paper begin with a theoretical discussion of the quota as an instrument of the policy maker and then focuses on the microeconomic effects that a possible change in its allocation could have on the profit of bluefin producers. The theoretical analysis shows that the actual equilibrium between economical and environmental sustainability could be subjected to progressive changes, which, if not corrected with adequate strategies, will always be to the disadvantage of the first. Dealing with this reduction, in order to remain on the market, would be possible only if they are able to maintain the prooftability of this production through the use of appropriate strategies aimed to increase the value of the Mediterranean bluefin. These strategies would favour the establishment of a new equilibrium between the economical and the environmental sustainability. In the actual scenario the latter arises strongly and it is important to evaluate the opportunity of fi nding new tools in order to be competitive on the market. Therefore, in this paper, after showing the peculiarities of the Mediterranean bluefin, we have analysed the more appropriated strategies to increase the added value of this typology of territorial bluefin production in the area where it is concentrated and where, since the ancient time, there is a consolidated tradition in the production and consumption of this product.