Jane Lubchenco, director of NOAA and head of the American delegation to Paris in December, came under fire from U.S. fishermen and lawmakers by suggesting that after years of restraint and cooperation that rebuilt bluefin stocks, there should be further restrictions on U.S. fishermen to encourage the Europeans to follow suit.

Eventually, the meeting failed to impose significant restrictions in the eastern Atlantic, frustrating environmentalists and some recreational fishermen. The problem is overfishing in the eastern Atlantic, fueled by a black market in bluefin tuna for Japanese sushi restaurants that charge their customers up to $75 per piece.

There is continuing pressure from environmentalists for a total moratorium on bluefin tuna fishing because of the belief by some that the fish are at the brink of extinction. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last year considered such a move but didn't make it.

Read the complete story from The South Coast Today.