The European Commission yesterday gave its backing for a suspension of international trade in endangered Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna. WWF welcomes the decision and now urges European Union national governments to follow this lead.
The European Commission agreed on a proposal to European Union Member States to co-sponsor with the Principality of Monaco a listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). This would temporarily ban all international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna, and give the endangered species a chance of recovery.
EU countries will decide whether to accept or reject the proposal by the European Commission at a meeting on 21 September of the CITES Management Committee. The EU votes en bloc at CITES, whose next Conference of the Parties is in Doha, Qatar in March 2010.
Atlantic bluefin tuna has been subject to decades of massive overfishing and overexploitation, plagued by illegal takes and blatant disregard for scientific advice, says WWF. Suspending trade through a CITES Appendix I listing will give the fish a chance to recover. WWF hopes to see a sustainably managed, thriving fishery around the Mediterranean again in the years to come.
