The world should ban the export of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a U.N. panel declared Friday, backing a proposal that is fiercely opposed by Japan, which prizes the fish as a key ingredient in sushi.
Atlantic bluefin populations have declined more than 80 percent since the 19th century, so establishing special protections is justified by science, said the U.N. group that oversees the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
The tiny European principality of Monaco is asking the 175 nations that are members of the U.N. group to agree on a global ban on Atlantic bluefin exports at a meeting in Qatar’s capital of Doha March 13-25. The dispute over tuna – which pits most northern European countries against Japan and several Mediterranean fishing nations – will probably command the biggest attention at the Doha meeting because it threatens to wipe the fish off the sushi menu.
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