The Pew Environment Group today praised the Obama administration for supporting the proposed CITES Appendix I listing for Atlantic bluefin tuna. Pew also called for all governments to join the United States in advocating for this proposal, sponsored by Monaco, which would prohibit international commercial trade of this iconic species and prevent it from becoming commercially extinct.
Government delegates from almost 175 countries – including the United States – will debate the bluefin proposal as well as international trade restrictions for eight species of sharks at the upcoming Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) conference. During this meeting, which will take place in Doha, Qatar from March 13-25, governments will determine the fate of these and more than 40 other species.
Pew today hosted a call (MP3) with leading marine scientists and CITES experts who highlighted the desperate conservation status of bluefin and the shark species. Speakers discussed the significance of U.S. support for the bluefin tuna proposal and the critical need for governments to provide these fish with the necessary levels of commercial protection under CITES.