Bluefin Tuna Trade Ban Rejected by CITES

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I thought for sure that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora or CITES for short would have voted for listing Bluefin Tuna off the table commercially. Bluefin is the largest and most sought after tuna primarily in Japan. Very few of these fish even make it to the states and I have not sold one in years. I have to admit that at first it was purely financial as the high price of these fish made them difficult to sell and make money on. However after following the stories and looking at good scientific data I decided that I would not buy or sell any until I could do so in good conscious, especially with so many other tuna species available.

So yesterday when the announcement was made that the proposal by Monaco and the United States to list Atlantic bluefin on Appendix I failed, with 20 in favor, 68 against and 30 abstaining. I was it bit surprised. With strong lobbying by Japan I guess I should not have been. After reading more about the process involved and the nature of CITES it may be years before any major changes occur. Hopefully it will not be too late. I would like to see some tougher measures put into place, and maybe a complete ban, so that a sustainable fishery can be established.

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