Economic Impact

The push to ban trade of bluefin tuna has gained support from scientists, politicians, and wildlife groups. According to many, at the current level of consumption, the population of bluefin tuna will be wiped out in three years. According to Heather Sohl, of the WWF “Stocks of tuna in the western Atlantic have dropped by 82% since 1978, while those in the eastern Atlantic have dropped by 80%. There is a high probability that restrictions will be placed on bluefin trade during a vote by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in March.
One of the issues about the ban is the economical effect on the fishing industry. It will be interesting to see how this plays out with the cost of extinction against the livelihood of the fishing industry. Canada for example depends on exporting their fish to Japan. A CITES spokesman claimed that the ban “has livelihood implications for the indigenous people of Canada. What will be the cost of enforcing such a ban and how effective will it be? Although I support the efforts to protect the Bluefin, I believe that the economic implications must be addressed if real change is to take place.

Adam Konder




http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/feb/14/bluefin-tuna-trade-ban-japan

http://money.canoe.ca/money/business/canada/archives/2010/02/20100212-161753.html

http://www.globalshift.org/2009/11/scales-of-debate-tipped-against-bluefin-tuna/