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U.S. Government Stands Up for Sport Fishing

The U.S. Secretary of Commerce delivered a letter this spring to the European Union (E.U.) Commissioner for Trade expressing serious concerns that overfishing by E.U. member states is negatively affecting game fish levels. Donald Evans, the Secretary of Commerce, said in a letter to Pascal Lamy that actions taken by the E.U. are undermining the International Convention for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and threaten the U.S. sport fishing industry. Evans cited overfishing, which has reduced stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna and blue and white marlin below sustainable levels, by E.U. member nations and warned of “serious friction in U.S.-E.U. trade relations.” The letter follows a petition filed by the Recreational Fishing Alliance (RFA) that alleges that the E.U.’s noncompliance with ICCAT amounts to unfair trade under the Trade Act of 1974. For more information, visit www.savefish.com.

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