Three tuna species are threatened and two others are likely to be, if measures are not taken to protect them. Overfishing is the main reason, due to their high commercial value. Tuna species are one of the most popular fish for human consumption globally. Will they be eaten into non-existence? Three species of bluefin tuna–southern, Atlantic and Pacific–are all in danger of collapse due to human activities. The two species not yet threatened, but close to it, are yellowfin and albacore. All three bluefin tuna species are susceptible to collapse under continued excessive fishing pressure.
“The southern bluefin has already essentially crashed, with little hope of recovery,” said marine conservationist Dr. Kent Carpenter. (Source: IUCN.org) Just this year a single bluefin tuna sold for nearly $400,000 in Japan. Bluefin tuna were denied status as an endangered species by the National Marine Fisheries Service in June. An online pledge to boycott bluefin tuna has been published by the Center for Biological Diversity. If all the tuna are eaten, what fish will be next up on the overconsumption menu?
The problem here is that the writer compares consumption of bluefin with albacore attempting to cobble together some arguement for halting tuna fishing. I would hazard a guess that albacore (which is abundant) is the #1, without any question about it, eaten fish in America. The problem seems to be with the Japanese and their insane hunger for Bluefin.
The lower classes of Japanese consumers are busily gobbling up the yellowfin at an alarming rate. The Japanese are still whaling too, for crying out loud. Who whales anymore? Our people end up paying guilt money to Greenpeace over it.
The point to all this is that while we would like to control and conserve the little beasties of the sea we can't. We are powerless to (legally) stop the foreign fleets that cover the best fishing grounds including some on the east coast that used to be guarded over by American fishermen.
If we continually cry for less fishing what we will get is less American fishermen and more japanese gobbling up the chicken of the sea.
Who wins in a battle like that?
RE: Japanese Whaling.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've watched that "Whale Wars" TV show a few times. I've never understood why, if they're willing to board/attack the whaling ships, the Sea Shepards don't just go all out with their piracy. Seems IMO, the only international attention they're getting as it is, is the TV show itself. (When did you last hear of them in the news?)
If they want international attention to focus on the whaling ... and are truly as willing to be imprisoned/killed as they claim ... become real pirates.