First it was Monaco. Then it was France, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
Now Germany is throwing its support behind a proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which would effectively ban international trade of the species.
“Up to now, attempts under the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy for protection of bluefin tuna have been ineffective,” said Sigmar Gabriel, Germany’s environment minister. “We support Monaco’s proposal for the listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna on CITES Appendix I.”
“Banning international trade in the imperiled Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna is the only possible course of action. This is our last chance to save this overexploited species,” added Heike Vesper, fisheries officer at World Wildlife Fund Germany. “WWF now urges European Union member states to speak with one voice. It is time to get behind Monaco and support this vital proposal.”
