Japan’s Fishermen Protest Proposed Ban on Tuna Trade
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TOKYO — Japanese fishermen Monday protested a proposed trade ban on bluefin tuna as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species got under way in Japan.
More than 1,000 wildlife trade specialists and lobbyists from 122 member countries converged on the city of Kyoto in western Japan for the triennial meeting.
One of the more controversial issues involves a species dear to the Japanese palate, bluefin tuna, which Sweden wants to add to the list of endangered species.
About 100 demonstrators representing tuna fishermen and sushi shop operators picketed in front of the Kyoto International Conference Center. Later, representatives of the All Japan Seamen’s Union presented the Swedish delegation with a 60,000-signature petition protesting the move.
“We knew there would be some kind of protest, but this is more than we expected,” the Swedish delegation chief, Sven Johansson, told the Japan Times.
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