Source: Environment News Service [1]
March 4, 2010

Washington, D.C. - 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 United States continues to have serious concerns about the long-term viability of either the fish or the fishery," said Tom Strickland, assistant secretary of the interior for fish and wildlife and parks, who will head the U.S. delegation to the upcoming Conference of Parties of the 175-nation treaty in Doha, Qatar.

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.

To read the full text of the article, click here [2].