Pew applauds Obama administration for backing tuna trade ban
The Obama administration has backed Appendix I listing for bluefin tuna
The Pew Environment Group has praised the Obama administration for supporting the proposed CITES Appendix I listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Pew also called for all governments to join the United States in advocating for this proposal, sponsored by Monaco, which would prohibit international commercial trade of this iconic species and prevent it from becoming commercially extinct.
Pew this week hosted a call with leading marine scientists and CITES experts who highlighted the desperate conservation status of bluefin and the shark species. Speakers discussed the significance of US 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.
“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,” said Susan Lieberman, director of international policy at the Pew Environment Group. “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.”
"The hammerheads and oceanic whitetips are classified as ‘endangered’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are primarily threatened by the fin trade, which claims up to 73 million sharks every year," said Demian D. Chapman, assistant science director at the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at Stonybrook University. "The porbeagle and spiny dogfish sharks – the latter a staple ingredient of ‘fish and chips’ since most Atlantic cod stocks collapsed – have been depleted by European seafood markets. The loss of all of these sharks, many of which are top predators, would be detrimental to the health of our oceans worldwide."
“The bluefin is a giant, warm-blooded fish that’s capable of sudden acceleration to highway speeds,” said former tuna fisherman Carl Safina, founder of Blue Ocean Institute. “They were thrilling to catch, but right now a sea-going buffalo hunt is forcing them toward commercial extinction. The United States and other governments – must vigorously support the effort to hit the brakes.”
Images for this article - click to enlarge
Unless otherwise stated, all images copyright © Mercator Media 2012. This does not exclude the owner's assertion of copyright over the material.
