France backs ban on bluefin tuna trade

Within the next fortnight, France will announce its support for adding bluefin tuna to Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES),according to an article published on the website of French newspaper, Le Monde.The Government declared on Monday that France would back a ban on the international trade of bluefin tuna,which has suffered heavily from over-fishing. According to Le Monde,Environment Minister Jean-Louis Borloo would make the announcement“within a fortnight”.Paris will therefore join the call to get bluefin tuna added to Appendix 1 of CITES, which entails a ban on international trade.This decision is an unexpected turnaround by France, which until now had favoured a less restrictive approach to tuna fishing. If confirmed, the French decision means the EU position will probably shift and come down in favour of a CITES 1 listing.

Source: Euractiv