Sunday, March 14, 2010

Bluefin tuna get their day in court

The fish fight back, this time thanks to the Prince of Monaco. Now that's a strange twist of fate, suitable for a new "Alice in Wonderland" movie.

Bluefin tuna may get some long overdue protection if all goes well at the ongoing CITES convention that limits international trade of endangered species.

The trade ban seems necessary, since fisheries management has failed to halt the decades-long and still continuing decline of bluefin tuna. After Japan was busted for quota-busting illegal fishing a few years ago, I thought we might see some progress. But no, so a trade ban seems like the only hope. This is what the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) was designed for, so it's time to try this last-hope approach.

Some of my colleagues are actively working on this issue in Qatar, and I hope I have some good news to report soon. Stay tuned, and see whether common sense and rationality will prevail and bluefin will get a chance to recover.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Finally! Japan has been doing this for too long. Illegal fishing has a drastic effect on our fragile oceans. Not only is this species in a decline but most people are totally unaware that this is happening and not only that but that global warming is also a large contributor to this decline.