Skip to content

Bluefin tuna, in danger of extinction

Since the 1970s, the number of bluefin tuna, also called bluefin tuna, in the European Atlantic has dropped by 90% and in the Mediterranean by 50%. The main cause is massive fishing. The study that yields these data was carried out by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and denounces that the fishing that took place in 2007 (61,000 tons) has doubled what is allowed by law and quadruples what would be ecologically sustainable. For all this, we can conclude that bluefin tuna is in danger of extinction .

You may also be interested in: Why the red panda is in danger of extinction
Index
  1. Insufficient measures
  2. Bluefin tuna in Japan
  3. Protest actions

Index

Insufficient measures

Despite the data, the European Union is reluctant to ban its fishing in the Mediterranean and limits itself to reducing the quota from almost 20,000 tonnes a year to 13,500. It should be added that this decision, according to some environmental groups, encourages illegal fishing. According to Xavier Pastor, Oceana’s Executive Director in Europe, “ships continue to be released that, if they really complied with the legislation, would earn more money by staying in port.”

Bluefin tuna in Japan

In Japan, a country responsible for a quarter of what is consumed in the world, bluefin tuna is highly valued for preparing sushi and in 2009, 137,000 euros were paid for a specimen of this species of tuna that weighed 202 kilograms. Actions like this may explain why some ICCAT scientists advocate banning the commercialization of this species to third countries.

Protest actions

Some environmentalists are not going to sit idly by while waiting for the long-awaited agreement between stakeholders. Fourteen Greenpeace activists blocked the port of Frontignan, in the south of France, and prevented the departure to fish three tuna boats that were going to start the bluefin tuna campaign. The future of bluefin tuna will be decided next November when the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna meets in Paris . “We must act as if future generations are already with us to negotiate on fishing levels,” said Rashid Sumaila, an economist at the University of British Columbia.

If you want to read more articles similar to Bluefin tuna, in danger of extinction , we recommend that you enter our category of Endangered Animals .

+ posts

Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *