Japan vowed Thursday to fight a global trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna, the pricey mainstay of sushi and sashimi, as Europe and the United States step up moves to protect the species. The world's largest consumer of bluefin said it would ignore a global trade ban that could be decided this month on the species, which marine ecologists say faces the threat of extinction after decades of industrial-scale fishing. Washington and Brussels have pledged to back a vote to list the ocean predator as endangered, alongside the panda, tiger and great apes, under the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Hasegawa, K. (2010, March 15). Japan vows to fight global trade ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna. Manila Bulletin, p. B-9.