A US-BACKED proposal to ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna prized in sushi was rejected yesterday by a UN wildlife meeting, with scores of developing nations joining Japan in opposing a measure they feared would devastate fishing economies.

Japan will cut its Atlantic bluefin tuna catch by 23% by 2010 in an effort to help preserve stocks of the endangered fish, the country’s fisheries agency announced today.

International regulators meeting in Japan today adopted a plan aimed at slowing the decline in global tuna stocks by reining in illegal fishing, controlling the growth of fleets and sharing data on stock assessments.