Is the Bluefin Tuna Doomed?
Posted on December 8th, 2008
The people in charge of protecting it seem to doing their best to drive bluefin to extinction.
Read this article by noted marine biologist Carl Safina on Yale e360.
Money Quote:
A 43-nation commission has public-trust management authority and a mandate to conserve. But the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas has for its 40-year history merely acted as the fishing industry’s official, tax-funded conglomerate. Think of it as the International Conspiracy to Catch All the Tuna, and its record starts making sense.
Tagged: bluefin tuna, Carl Safina, overfishing, regulatory ineptitude, Yale E360
A tough battle for the bluefin tuna, for sure. When they have such a astronomical price on their heads, it makes it even harder to survive in a world that is already difficult for them to be part of. And, its ironic that one of their most amazing traits (their virtually global migration patterns) might be the very trait that hurts them most… because when they travel to/through international waters .. none of the federal laws that apply here in the unites states matter. So, conservations/protection efforts are that much more difficult .. and sure, we can protect them when they are here in Maine for example, but Maine is not what we have to worry about .. its the mediterranean and other non-usa waters where pretty much “anything goes” …. a difficul uphill battle for the bluefin tuna .. and unfortunately the less of them that there are simply translates into the more people are willing to pay .. a simple matter of supply and demand.
I love to eat bluefin tuna, but I’d be willing to give it up for a few years if that helps save the species.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention!
pete you say “I love to eat bluefin tuna but I’d be willing to give it up for a few years if that helps save the species.” … Unfortunately I don’t think the Japanese feel the same way. The bluefin Tuna to them is nothing short of “godlike” .. it is inherently tied to their culture and the history of their culture. top sushi chefs actual meditate and pray over the fish before cutting it up…. basically, it would be like saying in the USA “no more hot dogs at baseball games.” .. as we both know, that wouldn’t go over to well:) .. really though, a very complex issue .. but mostly because its hard to protect a fish that relies on international migration. for example, we can (and basically did) commercial fish striped bass to near extinction .. then the fed say “no more commercial fishing for striped bass” .. now, stripers don’t travel out to international waters every year (thank god) and find themselves in seas and waterways where there are no rules. So, the striper gets a nice pardon from the feds, nobody can commercial fish them and .. viola .. they thrive. same with cod on georges bank. the bluefin tuna however, is not so easily controlled .. actually not controllable .. and all of our good intentions in the USA and people willing to “give up sushi” in the usa and abide by strict federal fishing regulations … don’t matter one iota when the fish ventures into waters where “anything goes” …. tough to find a “simple solution” to the dilema ..