Int'l treaty panel rejects trade curbs on all eels amid Japan opposition

A panel of an international treaty regulating the trade of endangered species rejected a proposal on Thursday to impose export restrictions on all eels, amid calls from Japan, one of the world's largest consumers of the fish, to oppose the measure.The European Union and others submitted the proposal at the ongoing conference of the parties to the Washington Convention in Uzbekistan. In the panel's vote, 100 countries opposed the initiative, far exceeding the 35 that voted in favor, with eight abstaining.Takao Shinobu, a Fisheries Agency official who led the Japanese delegation, said after t…READ FULL ARTICLE