Earlier this week, Dr. Jane Lubchenco, Under Secretary of Commerce for Oceans and Atmosphere as well as NOAA Admisistrator – not to mention a member of President Obama’s Ocean Taskforce – finally broke the silence by officially weighing in on bluefin tuna.
Lubchenco announced that the United States is “sending a clear and definitive statement to the international community that the status quo is not acceptable.” She formally acknowledged the peril facing the Northern bluefin tuna, citing stock declines of 72% and 82% in the eastern and western populations, respectively. The good Doctor levels blame for these declines directly at the ineffectual International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), as well as the irresponsible activities of certain countries that target bluefin in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Lubchenco calls for ICCAT to address overfishing by setting responsible quotas, increasing enforcement, and instituting fishing closures during spawning periods. She then goes on to declare the United States’ “strong support” for Monaco’s proposal to prohibit the international trade of the species by way of a CITES Appendix I listing.
Sounds great, right? And it is, in a way. It’s a strong proclamation that lets the world know the United States is seriously concerned about this issue. So why aren’t I out in the street right now, lighting fireworks and drinking to excess?
What’s more important than what Dr. Lubchenco said is what she didn’t say. Specifically, one particular word, the absence of which leaves me worried and somewhat dismayed.
That word is “sponsor.”
