TOKYO - Tuna brokers at Japan's largest fish market protested a proposed international trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna Thursday, saying it would unfairly hit Japan and its massive tuna market.

Raw tuna is a key ingredient in traditional dishes such as sushi and sashimi, and the bluefin variety - called "hon-maguro" here - is particularly prized.

"This is like telling the US to stop eating beef," said Kimio Amano, a 36-year-old broker who has worked at the market for 20 years.

But global stocks of bluefin are dwindling, especially in the Atlantic, and governments around the world are increasingly supporting a complete trade ban to let the fish recover. About 80 percent of the species ends up in Japan.

The protest took place just before the start of a March 13-27 meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, in Doha, Qatar. At that meeting 175 member nations will vote on whether to add the fish to a list of animals threatened with extinction, banning international trade.

Tokyo is strongly against the ban but faces increasing opposition from other countries, and many Japanese feel the country is being singled out by the international community.

EU governments decided Wednesday they would support the ban, following a similar move by the US last week. Two-thirds approval is needed to pass it.