Stop the International Bluefin Tuna Trade

Support the international trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna! Send a letter to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service before January 4th.

In March 2010, countries around the world will vote on a proposal to prohibit the international commercial trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna. The United States must lead the world in protecting these imperiled fish, and those efforts begin at home.

Atlantic Bluefin tuna is close to population collapse. Studies show that bluefin populations in all parts of the northern Atlantic and Mediterranean have undergone a marked decline to less than 15% of their unfished numbers.

The greatest threat to bluefin tuna is global trade and high demand for the sushi/sashimi market in Japan. We are calling on the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Interior, on behalf of the Obama administration, to immediately and publicly declare its support for Monaco's proposal for a trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna as it prepares for the March meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

You can help protect bluefin tuna today! Please send a letter to the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service before January 4th, and tell them to support and vote for the Monaco proposal.

Tell me more

Talking Points

Subject:

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

(Edit Letter Below)

I urge the U.S. government to support the listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna on CITES Appendix I to help curb the decline of this critically endangered species. Years of mismanagement and uncontrolled, illegal overfishing is pushing this iconic animal to the brink of its demise.   According to both the United Nation's Food and Agricultural Organization and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), all populations of Atlantic bluefin tuna have declined by at least 85% from their unexploited state and thus, the species clearly qualifies for the listing.

An Appendix I listing provides the only vehicle by which the high pressure placed upon bluefin fisheries, driven by international sushi markets, can be alleviated.  The trade restrictions provided by CITES Appendix I would enable this majestic predator to rebuild its population and prevent commercial extinction.

In a courageous statement this fall, the Department of Interior's Assistant Secretary Tom Strickland  said, "Unless significantly strengthened management and compliance measures, specifically measures to address IUU harvest were adopted by ICCAT, that the United States would exert complete and vigorous support for Monaco's CITES Appendix I listing proposal."  It is time to stand by that remark.

In light of the failure of ICCAT to significantly strengthen the protection regime for bluefin tuna, I urge the United States government to become a bold champion of its own resources and support the Appendix I listing for Atlantic bluefin.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your address]

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