Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 9 • Number 18 • 16th October 2009

Bluefin Tuna, Shark Species to be Considered at CITES COP

Discuss this articleShare your views with other visitors, and read what they have to say

Just before a 14 October deadline expired, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) received proposals for the organisation to consider imposing trade restrictions on bluefin tuna and eight shark species at its next Conference of the Parties.

Some environmentalists continued to pan the lack of international support for the bluefin tuna initiative, while others applauded efforts by the US and EU to tackle problems with overfishing in the shark industry.

After failing to gain consensus from EU member states to move ahead as a bloc on the Mediterranean bluefin tuna issue, the Principality of Monaco had no choice but to take action unilaterally (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 5 October 2009, http://ictsd.net/i/news/biores/56863/). If the microstate is successful in its effort to have the fish added to CITES Appendix I, it will result in a temporary trade ban.

The proposals targeting sharks seek to add the eight threatened species to CITES Appendix II, which would limit trade to sustainable levels by requiring export permits, thus protecting the future health of populations. Species such as polar bears, wolves, and the American black bear are currently listed under Appendix II.

Monaco goes it alone on bluefin tuna

Monaco spearheaded the initiative to have bluefin tuna classified as an endangered species under CITES earlier this year (see Bridges Trade BioRes, 4 September 2009, http://ictsd.net/i/news/biores/54180/). The initiative quickly gained support from several other EU countries - including France, the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria - but resistance from Mediterranean countries was enough to block EU consensus on the issue.

Last week a meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) - the international organisation in charge of regulating the bluefin tuna industry - confirmed that illegal and underreported fishing has caused Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks to decline dramatically since the 1990s.

The issue of illegal bluefin tuna fishing came into the spotlight recently as nine people - including the General Secretary and the Director of the Algerian Ministry of Fisheries - were charged with illegal fishing activities during the 2009 fishing season. The purported crimes include the capture and laundering of 210 tonnes of Atlantic bluefin tuna.

The accused members of the Algerian Ministry of Fisheries were allegedly bribed to turn a blind eye to illegal fishing for bluefin tuna by a Turkish fishing boat.

Cases such as these have caused environmental groups to repeatedly slam ICCAT for failing to adequately protect bluefin tuna stocks. They say that the international commercial trade ban that would be established by adding the tuna to CITES Appendix I would be an effective way of allowing stocks to return to normal levels.

“The current management regime is a total failure and is inadequate to guarantee the recovery of this iconic species - only a stop to global trade can give bluefin tuna the breather it so desperately needs,” said Sergi Tudela, head of fisheries at WWF Mediterranean, following Monaco’s submission. “WWF applauds Monaco for officially proposing today a halt to international trade in this endangered and alarmingly overexploited species - an act that would cut the main driver of decline.”

Environmental groups in the United States - where Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn - lauded Monaco’s initiative and criticised their government for failing to co-sponsor the proposal.

“This is a lost opportunity,” said Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group. “The Obama administration veered drastically off its ‘use science to guide decision making’ course by not backing this proposal to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna. As a result, the common sense conservation measures that would help stave off commercial extinction for this species are even further from becoming a reality.”

Reichert said that up to 30 percent of bluefin tuna are taken illegally and never reported, making the need for action immediate. “CITES is the only global treaty that has the authority to regulate and enforce trade measures to protect those species threatened by international trade,” he said.

EU, US look to ease pressure on shark populations

Submissions to CITES to consider adding eight species of shark to Appendix II were launched in response to recent increases in global trade of shark products - particularly fins, which can fetch a high price as a Chinese delicacy.

Six of the submissions - targeting oceanic whitetip; dusky; sandbar; and great, scalloped, and smooth hammerheads - came from the United States. The other two submissions for porbeagle (or lamna nasus) and spiny dogfish sharks came from the EU.

Environmentalists say pressure on shark populations has now come to a point where immediate action is required to keep them protected. “Shark fins are today’s ivory tusks,” said Courtney Sakai, senior campaign director at Oceana. “Like elephants, the world is realising that sharks are more valuable alive than dead.”

Sakai says that CITES offers an effective means to keep international trade at acceptable levels. “This could be the turning point for sharks,” she said. “If countries join together now we can promote the sustainable trade of sharks worldwide.”

In addition to fisheries submissions, Tanzania and Zambia are calling on CITES to downgrade the African elephant from the list of most endangered species to Appendix II, which would lift a ban on ivory trade.

All proposals will be considered when the Convention’s 175 member states meet at the CITES COP, which is being held from 13-25 March 2010 in Doha, Qatar. Proposals must be approved by a two-thirds majority.

ICTSD Reporting; “Ban on bluefin tuna trade,” AFP, 15 October 2009.