Protecting Bluefin Tuna

Photo by Brian Skerry

 According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, seven of the 23 commercially fished tuna species, including bluefin, northern albacore, bigeye and yellowfin, are overfished or depleted. An additional nine species are on the brink of being overfished. The boats seeking these tuna are responsible for more hooks and nets in the water than any other fishery.

Atlantic bluefin tuna are remarkable animals. They can dive to depths of 500 to 1,000 meters and migrate thousands of kilometers a year between spawning and breeding grounds. Bluefin tuna have captivated the imagination since the time of Aristotle. But since World War II, overfishing, including illegal fishing, facilitated by high-tech fishing techniques and ballooning fishing capacity, has brought populations of these ocean giants precariously close to collapse. The continuing increase in demand for bluefin tuna on the lucrative sushi market has fueled increased catches, while driving this magnificent species toward severe depletion.