U.S. fishermen are hoping to plead their case at the Convention on International Trade In Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora in Doha, Qatar, where delegates from 175 member countries convened Saturday.
"Anyone who studies the issues knows this is not the proper course unless you just want to destroy us," said Richard Ruais, director of the American Bluefin Tuna Association, based in Salem, N.H., who planned to attend the convention.
Ruais said the ban would be unfair to U.S. fishermen, who have been abiding by the international bluefin tuna management structure. He blames the decline in the fish's population on European countries that ignore the rules.
Maine fishermen once considered the Atlantic bluefin tuna a nuisance. The giant predator would get into their weirs to eat herring, and the fishermen would harpoon them and use their oil in lamps.
In the last 50 years, the fatty fish have become highly prized, especially for sashimi. One fish can fetch tens of thousands of dollars. Today, 550 Mainers are licensed to fish commercially for bluefin tuna, and 8,260 are licensed along the Eastern seaboard and Gulf of Mexico, said Brad McHale, fishery management specialist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.