Tuna Blues: A Species on the Brink
posted by: Peter Kobel 182 days ago
Peter Kobel
Greenpeace recently staged a clever prank at Nobu in Manhattan to protest the chic restaurant chain’s serving bluefin tuna. Activists made reservations and attempted to substitute faux menus that offered such endangered-species delicacies as “Rack of Mountain Gorilla Seasoned with Powdered Rhino Horn.” When their subterfuge was discovered and they were asked to leave, they did so quietly, even tipping the wait staff.
Earlier this week, the environmental organization took its campaign to the Mediterranean in a much more dangerous action. Activists were violently assaulted when they peacefully tried to board a fishing vessel in Malta to inspect it for illicit tuna. A female activist was punched repeatedly in the face and thrown overboard. In both incidents, Greenpeace made headlines – and its point.
“Oversized industrial fishing fleets are putting bluefin at risk of disappearing altogether,” said Francois Provost, Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner. “Governments should establish fully protected marine reserves on the species’ spawning grounds to start giving the population a chance to recover.”
There are official quotas for bluefin tuna takes. The Economist magazine reports that the quotas are set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), whose nickname, it says, is the “International Conspiracy to Catch All Tunas.” ICCAT’s scientists observe that the quota should be 15,000 tons of bluefin a year, but ICCAT has set the quota at 30,000 tons annually. In truth, between 50,000 and 60,000 tons are taken because monitoring is so lax.
Because its stock is “data deficient,” bluefin tuna is not officially categorized as threatened. But a study cited by The Economist argues that overfishing of bluefins in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean will cause them to become critically endangered within a matter of years.
Greenpeace seeks the creation of a network of no-take marine reserves, which would protect 40 percent of the world’s oceans, as the solution to the overfishing of tuna and other species. But, obviously, it isn’t just one marine species that’s at risk. Scientists think that the number of large fish in our oceans has fallen by as much as 90 percent since the fifties.
The End of the Line, the recent cautionary documentary on the sorry state of our seas, warns that some experts believe that the oceans will be fished out within half a century. Sea turtles and whales perhaps make more charismatic symbols of the oceans’ decline. But the plight of the bluefin tuna reminds us that overfishing may be an even graver threat to the health of marine life than pollution and global warming.
Earlier this week, the environmental organization took its campaign to the Mediterranean in a much more dangerous action. Activists were violently assaulted when they peacefully tried to board a fishing vessel in Malta to inspect it for illicit tuna. A female activist was punched repeatedly in the face and thrown overboard. In both incidents, Greenpeace made headlines – and its point.
“Oversized industrial fishing fleets are putting bluefin at risk of disappearing altogether,” said Francois Provost, Greenpeace International Oceans Campaigner. “Governments should establish fully protected marine reserves on the species’ spawning grounds to start giving the population a chance to recover.”
There are official quotas for bluefin tuna takes. The Economist magazine reports that the quotas are set by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), whose nickname, it says, is the “International Conspiracy to Catch All Tunas.” ICCAT’s scientists observe that the quota should be 15,000 tons of bluefin a year, but ICCAT has set the quota at 30,000 tons annually. In truth, between 50,000 and 60,000 tons are taken because monitoring is so lax.
Because its stock is “data deficient,” bluefin tuna is not officially categorized as threatened. But a study cited by The Economist argues that overfishing of bluefins in the northeast Atlantic and Mediterranean will cause them to become critically endangered within a matter of years.
Greenpeace seeks the creation of a network of no-take marine reserves, which would protect 40 percent of the world’s oceans, as the solution to the overfishing of tuna and other species. But, obviously, it isn’t just one marine species that’s at risk. Scientists think that the number of large fish in our oceans has fallen by as much as 90 percent since the fifties.
The End of the Line, the recent cautionary documentary on the sorry state of our seas, warns that some experts believe that the oceans will be fished out within half a century. Sea turtles and whales perhaps make more charismatic symbols of the oceans’ decline. But the plight of the bluefin tuna reminds us that overfishing may be an even graver threat to the health of marine life than pollution and global warming.
Read more: environment & wildlife
comments
i'll be near vegetarian life style & i hope to start it seriously as soon as possible, becouse my mind is oriented but i'm just lazy. i don't wont to be part of this OVERFISHING karma! please greenpeace protect 40 percent of the world’s oceans.
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Just another addition to the already endangered species of animals who are suffering from our lack of human common sense (the problems with our climate, global warming).
Care 2 petitioners, please keep up the pressure on governments to go green and stop the problems we are seeing every day from the benefits of not doing environmentally what we should all be doing!
Jerilyn Capaccione
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As a chef, I believe it is a very important task for those in my profession to continually, through creativity prepare food and set trends responsibly.
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Thanks for raising my awareness of the sad plight of the bluefin tuna.
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I personally am sad to say that I am a human instead of an animal or mammal. This is outrageous, since I have lived in San Diego which used to be a great Tuna fishery, I have grown up with this, but now, they just want it all, dolphins, etc, anything they can get, nevermind what they are distroying. I'm sorry, this is sick, also it is very SAD to me to think that our GREAT UNITED STATES is distroying everything...You have to live with nature, not DISTROY it. I Certainly hope the government and society gets it before it's all gone and we are left alone...what a sad life that would be. Marilyn
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We humans tend to destroy everithing and we need to stop and realize how much damage we do to our wilderness and oceans when is the time for us americans to get our buts of the chair and speak out for our planet lets do something beneficial we have WORK TO DO
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When are the cod coming back to the "Grand"Banks? Or the trout back to Lake Simcoe? Or the Passenger Pidgeon.......I agree with Alice B. when are the God-botherers going to at least be taxed for their inane and harmful views? Perhaps they could perform the fishes and loaves miracle for us.
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tuna is a basic and these fish should be treated right!
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We need to conserve the species so we don't run out of delicious sashimi.
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The human's destroy anything we come into contact with including ourselves so nothing would surprise me that animals of all kind big or small are dying soon we will be dying at the same rate.
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Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.
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