The Pew Environment Group urges international support for global ban on trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The Group has applauded the Obama Administration for its support to the cause. The ban was proposed by Monaco, which would prohibit international commercial trade of this iconic species and prevent it from becoming commercially extinct.
Delegates from all over the world will discuss the bluefin proposal as well as international trade restrictions for eight species of sharks at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference. Pew has discussed the issue with marine scientists and CITES experts. They have debated the significance of U.S. support for the bluefin tuna proposal and the critical need for governments to provide these fish with the necessary levels of commercial protection under CITES.
Susan Lieberman, director of international policy at the Pew Environment Group, explained that the Obama administration’s decision to support a CITES Appendix I listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna could be a real game changer for the species. She urged the other governments can either join Monaco and the United States in boldly supporting the conservation of bluefin tuna, sharks and other marine species or they can yield to commercial fishing interests that focus more on short-term profits than a sustainable future for both fish and local fishing communities.
Former tuna fisherman Carl Safina, founder of Blue Ocean Institute, said that the bluefin is a giant, warm-blooded fish that’s capable of sudden acceleration to highway speeds. It is expected that CITES must respect and enforce all provisions of the Convention. CITES has protected more than 30,000 species around the globe and is considered one of the best-enforced international conservation agreements.
