Pew Laments Lack of U.S. Leadership To Protect Atlantic Bluefin Tuna at CITES

WASHINGTON, Oct. 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Joshua Reichert, managing
director of the Pew Environment Group, today issued the following statement on
the United States' failure to co-sponsor a proposal for consideration by the
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and
Flora (CITES) that would protect Atlantic bluefin tuna. The proposal was made
by Monaco to ban the international trade in Atlantic bluefin tuna through a
listing of the species on Appendix I of the Convention because of the
deteriorating status of this species.

"This is a lost opportunity. 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.

"The Atlantic bluefin population that spawns in U.S. waters has declined by
82% since the 1970s. In addition, it is estimated that up to 30% of bluefin
caught are taken illegally and not even reported. This makes a perilous
situation worse. The scientific data on this species is solid and
overwhelmingly justifies immediate action. The refusal of the U.S. to take
the necessary steps to protect Atlantic bluefin through co-sponsoring an
Appendix I ban in international trade will further escalate their decline and
hasten their ultimate demise.

"CITES is the only global treaty that has the authority to regulate and
enforce trade measures to protect those species threatened by international
trade. It's also the best route for us to pursue. Governments must act now to
list Atlantic bluefin."

BACKGROUND:

Today was the final day on which countries that are party to CITES could
propose the names of species to be listed in two different Appendices. The
proposals will be considered at the next Conference of the Parties to CITES,
to be held March 13 - 25, 2010 in Doha, Qatar.
-- Monaco submitted a proposal to ban international commercial trade of
Atlantic bluefin tuna through a listing of the species on Appendix I
of
the Convention.

-- To read more about Pew's work on bluefin tuna, go to
http://www.pewtrusts.org/our_work_detail.aspx?id=937. To learn about
CITES, visit www.cites.org.

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable
Trusts, a non-governmental organization headquartered in the United States
that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improving public policy,
informing the public and stimulating civic life.

Contact: Dave Bard, 202.486.4426

SOURCE Pew Environment Group

Dave Bard of Pew, +1-202-486-4426