Obama on Bluefins

Last week, the Obama Administration announced its support of a proposal that would ban international trade of Atlantic bluefin tuna. European city-state Monaco will present the trade ban for consideration at the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The summit will be held in Doha, Qatar, from March 13 to 15. The ban’s new US sponsorship significantly strengthens the possibility of its passage, which requires at least a two-thirds vote. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization lists the bluefin tuna as an endangered species. Commercial fishing has decreased the bluefin population by more than 80 percent since 1970. This is a result of its popularity in Japan, where the fish is considered a delicacy and 80 percent of the world’s catch is consumed.