Hours after activists at the Pew Environment Group complained that only tiny Monaco would support a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna — putting it in the same category as rare wildlife and ivory — the Obama administration threw its support behind shutting down bluefin exports to Japan.
It’s a move that will win applause from environmental groups — and very likely opposition from some fishing advocates who say a bluefin ban will penalize American fishermen for the overfishing of Mediterranean nations.
Wednesday was the deadline for nations that are parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES treaty, to propose new actions for the annual treaty conference to be held in March 2010.