The future of the bluefin tuna is topping the agenda at a United Nations wildlife protection conference in Doha, the Qatari capital.

Due to industrial-scale fishing catering to Japanese demand, bluefin tuna stocks have plummeted by 80 per cent in the two main spawning grounds for the fish - the Mediterranean sea and the western part of the Atlantic Ocean.

Environmentalists argue that a temporary ban is the only option to prevent the fish from becoming extinct and allow for stocks to recover. Many countries are now pushing for the ban.

Al Jazeera's Estelle Youssouffa met fishermen in southern France who could be forced into bankruptcy if the ban comes into effect.