At a UN conference on endangered species in Qatar this week, American proposals to ban international trade of bluefin tuna and to protect the polar bears from hunting were shot down. Mostly to the delight of the Japanese, who enjoy bluefin tuna in their sushi, the conference held that the fish was to marketable and not in immediate danger of extinction due to commercial fishing. In the worsening case of the polar bears, the conference delegates decided that the polar bear population severely threatened by global warming is healthy enough to withstand small hunting.
I think this is a real tragedy for the polar bears. While there may be a large enough population now, the population of the polar bear is decreasing at astronomical rates, mostly due to the rapid melting of the ice caps on which they live. It appears that once again mankind has chosen the selfish, short-sided route that will benefit today and leave tomorrow in ruins. Research shows that if nothing is done to assist the survival of the polar bears - which nothing is - they could be extinct in as little as 50 years.
Links:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/19/science/earth/19species.html?ref=science
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