Early End to Bluefin Tuna Season Illustrates Fish's Precarious Survival

Bluefin tuna populations are so low that the species' catch season typically goes by quicker than a swimming fish. This year's fishing season was scheduled to take place for only two weeks, June 1st through the 15th. But despite the catch's brevity, the EU Fisheries Commission decided to shut down the season yesterday, saying that allowable catch quotas had already been reached.

While the EU took a step towards protecting the threatened tuna, there really shouldn't be a bluefin tuna fishing season at all. Bluefins' population numbers are so low that if the world continues consuming them, bluefin tuna really will sleep with the fishes.

Let's look at the dismal numbers: Scientists estimate that 80 percent of the North Atlantic's bluefin tuna have been lost to overfishing. And while there are some catch quotas in place, that doesn't stop fishermen from harvesting and selling tuna illegally. Last year, one bluefin tuna raked in $177,000, so it's clear that there's plenty of monetary incentive for fishermen to keep catching and selling the fish to distributors. And as the fish's population numbers dip, demand for bluefin tuna continues to grow exponentially. Sushi lovers are quite literally eating bluefin tuna into extinction.

The tuna's plight could be further compounded by the Gulf oil spill. One population of North Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico in an area that overlaps with the spill zone. Bluefin tuna are already dangerously down—dealing a blow like oil exposure could present the final knock-out punch.

Still, some environmental groups are trying to put pressure on organizations to enact greater legislative protections for bluefin tuna. Greenpeace recently confronted tuna fishing boats in the Mediterranean. And a couple weeks ago, the Center for Biological Diversity filed a scientific petition to protect bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act.

As for consumers, the way to decrease demand for bluefin tuna is to stop eating it. Foodies have a unique advantage in the activism world because we can literally help change a bad situation by just changing what's on our dinner plates. What the bluefin tuna really needs is a temporary international fishing ban so fish populations can rebound. Help the world get there by ditching bluefin tuna in favor of more sustainable seafood.

Photo credit: NOAA