WASHINGTON, DC, March 4, 2010 (ENS)
A proposal to ban all international commercial trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna at this month's meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, CITES, has the support of the United States, a
senior U.S. fisheries official said Wednesday.
The Atlantic bluefin tuna is highly prized, especially for high-end sushi and sashimi, and a single fish can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. The Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin population has declined more than 80 percent since 1970.
Bluefin are threatened by overharvesting, which includes illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing.
If adopted at the CITES meeting, the proposal by Monaco would place Atlantic bluefin on Appendix I of the treaty, under which commercial trade in the species is not allowed. Non-commercial trade would be allowed by permit only.
The European Commission declared its support for a ban in February but wants any ban to be delayed for 12 months to wait for more scientific information to assess the adequacy of any measures adopted by ICCAT when it meets in November 2010.