Bluefin tuna ban rejected
Bluefin tuna. ©Greenpeace/Marco Care
Trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna will not be banned, it was decided at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) today.
The decision was reached after Japan, Canada and scores of poor nations opposed the measure on the grounds that banning exports of the fish would devastate fishing economies.
Monaco introduced the proposal to CITES, by proposing adding the bluefin tuna to CITES Appendix I, arguing that extreme measures are necessary because the stocks have fallen dramatically and current managing agencies have done nothing to rebuild the stocks.
Only the United States, Norway and Kenya supported the proposal outright. The European Union asked that implementation be delayed until May 2011 to give authorities time to respond to concerns about overfishing.
Oceana reports that the final vote on the Monaco proposal was 20 to 68, with 30 abstaining.
Oceana campaigner María José Cornax said: “In a clear win by short-term economic interest over the long-term health of the ocean and the rebuilding of Atlantic bluefin tuna populations and fishery, CITES today voted to deny prohibition of the international trade of the species”.
She added: “However not everything is lost. There’s a small chance that the proposal is brought up during the debates again.”
Greenpeace International oceans campaigner Oliver Knowles said: “The abject failure of governments here at CITES to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna spells disaster for its future and sets the species on a pathway to extinction."
The European Commission also issued the following statement:
"We are disappointed with the outcome of the CITES meeting as regards the EU proposal for a listing in Appendix I of bluefin tuna. The EU proposal was a strong commitment towards a sustainable future for the bluefin tuna and for fishermen. We regret that other Parties were not convinced with the merits of such a listing. We remain convinced that stringent measures are needed to ensure the recovery of Atlantic bluefin tuna. The European Union remains committed to the objective of safeguarding bluefin tuna stocks and we look to ICCAT to take its responsibility to ensure that stocks are managed in a sustainable way. If action is not taken, there is a very serious danger that the bluefin tuna will no longer exist."
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