Bluefin Tuna Stocks have crashed by 85%: Monaco wants them added to the CITES Appendix I

Bluefin Tuna Stocks have crashed by 85%: Monaco wants them added to the CITES Appendix I

by David Adam, environmental correspondent, The Guardian, March 12, 2010

Monaco has proposed adding the bluefin tuna to CITES Appendix I, which brings an automatic ban in trade.
The giant fish can grow to 3 meters and weigh more than half a tonne. Much sought after as a delicacy and for sushi, a single fish reportedly sold earlier this year for $120,000.

Populations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean have crashed in recent decades and there is no sign that efforts to introduce more sustainable fishing practices have slowed the decline. Scientists say stocks are about 15% of what they were before industrial fishing began.

The proposed change is backed by the US and Europe, which wants a 12-month delay on any trade ban. Japan has indicated it may opt out from CITES controls if it is passed. It wants bluefin conservation to be managed by regional fishery bodies and blames the fish decline on European countries for setting unrealistic quotas and ignoring illegal fishing.

Link:  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/mar/12/polar-bears-endangered-species-listing