The silvery magnificence of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus) swims past a diver in Japan's Tokyo Sea Life Park. The fish's belly meat is prized as the finest sushi in the world;one fish can easily sell for tens of thousands of dollars on the world market. Its meat is in such demand that overfishing—some illegal—leaves the giant bluefin population at risk of collapse. Photograph by John Anderson
Rejected trade ban ‘sounds death knell’ for bluefin
With stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna down 75 per cent due to over-fishing, the European Commission said the trade ban’s rejection threatened the survival of the ocean predator. Environmental group Greenpeace also warned the vote ”sets the species on a pathway to extinction”.
”Let’s take science and throw it out the door,” Susan Lieberman, director of international policy with the Pew Environment Group in Washington, said sarcastically.
”It’s pretty irresponsible of the governments to hear the science and ignore the science. Clearly, there was pressure from the fishing interests. The fish is too valuable for its own good.”
Tuna! Brilliant!
I like tuna because it’s one of the few creatures the same size as me. Most creatures are much much bigger or much much smaller. If I ever meet a tuna I can say “Why hello, my name is Kim and I am 40 to 200kg and 1 to 2.5 metres” and we’ll have so much in common.