Susan Lieberman, director of international policy for the Pew Environment Group, said in a statement at last France declares its support for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) proposal to ban global trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna. It is mentioned that the Atlantic bluefin tuna, perhaps the most iconic and valuable fish in the sea, have been overfished to the point where an international trade suspension is critical for recovery.
United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation agreed that the species qualifies for a CITES Appendix I listing, which would put this protection in place. The export panel of FAO also states that when the European Union initially considered cosponsoring the CITES bluefin proposal last fall, all six Mediterranean countries blocked the action.
At first Monaco submitted the proposal to CITES and now, with the declaration of France, supporters are ready to join hands. The European Union’s 27 votes at CITES will become a building block for the conservation movement. The support means that halting commercial trade is the best way to rebuild Atlantic bluefin tuna populations. France’s declared support for the listing should not, however, be qualified with any sort of implementation delay. This 18-month delay would allow for another 18 months of over-fishing and possibly stockpiling, further threatening the species and its recovery.
