Listen to this PodcastMore 60-Second Earth
Tuna steak. Tuna tartare. Toro, as the Japanese call it, or the fatty underbelly of the bluefin tuna served as sushi —a delicacy that became more common with the advent of cheap refrigeration in the 1960s. These are just some of the ways that humans consume one of the few warm-blooded fish.
Unfortunately that love for bluefin tuna has led to overfishing , despite the fish's ability to swim as fast as 80 kilometers per hour. The Atlantic population of the giant fish that grows to an average of more than 360 kilograms has fallen by 90 percent. And the estimated global population is less than half what it was in 1970.
As a result, the U.S. and other countries proposed a ban on bluefin tuna trade to allow the pack-hunting ocean predator to recover. But the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species rejected protecting the bluefin tuna via a secret ballot vote at its most recent meeting. After all, the fish is beloved cuisine in Japan, fetching as much as $175,000 for one fish.
Nor is the bluefin alone. Its cousin, yellowfin tuna, has begun to shrink—the first sign of a population crashing due to overfishing. Tuna may be off the menu soon, one way or the other.
—David Biello
See what we're tweeting about
20 Comments
Add CommentConservation proceeds in bursts. Only when some well-known species hit extinction do nations become interested. In that sense, it's too bad that the bald eagle was saved from extinction. What a national embarrassment for the US, and symbol for conservation, that would have been. Maybe the polar bear will be that symbol in a century.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt boggles my mind to try and understand how an intelligent culture does not understand that their desire for this food will be removed forever unless they observe a temporary halt to the killing. It's as if the entire culture is as addicted to bluefin as an addict is to the drug he/she uses. What a sad commentary on our species.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@dskan:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhy are you using the American Bald Eagle as an example? Are you implying that the US is behind the tuna overfishing problem? It wasn't the US that was against this, it was the Japanese. Read the article.
I know it's popular to hate the US but this is just ridiculous.
It has to do with status.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn Japan, if you can continue to afford higher and higher prices for this fish, it indicates your importance and social standing.
I'm glad to say, my self-esteem doesn't depend upon a fish.
Once it's gone, I wonder how many people will commit suicide due to lack of face?
Pitiful
It's called "shooting yourself in the foot" and obviously since there is a saying for it, humanity has been doing it a long time...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe seem to lose a lot of big fish to the Japanese. Whale, dolphin are just a few that they kill regardless of their numbers. And the international world just looks the other way, because they don't want to insult them and lose any money they receive from them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe seem to lose a lot of big fish to the Japanese. Whale, dolphin are just a few that they kill regardless of their numbers. And the international world just looks the other way, because they don't want to insult them and lose any money they receive from them.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWe need to remove value from the paper we exchange as money, and replace it with a truly valuable thing, life. We only get one chance at it, and with every generation we progress significantly both forwards and backwards. The backwards movement is typically related to acts that are underlined by ignorance or ego, or a dangerous combination of both. Here is another perfect example.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOur only hope to overcome the problem of unsustainable consumption is education. Our choices matter. If people would stop eating these species, there would be no demand for the product and the slaughter would eventually stop. Ironically, the first ad (via google) posted at the bottom of this list was "buy bonito tuna & yellowfin tuna from spain..."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere is a big difference between economic failure of a fishery and extinction. I would think economic failure would happen long before extinction, at which point disinvestment from the fishery would remove much of the pressure on the population. I am not sure I have heard of a highly fecund, pelagic fish species going extinct due to fishing pressure. Has anyone else? I don't mean to belittle the problem, but other types of species seem to be at much more immediate risk of extinction than tuna. Caveat- just my ignorant opinion.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe truth will subject the person who dares to mention it to be labelled a racist. I am definitely not a racist, I gather my facts and verify them as best I can.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMy comment on the results of the CITES rejecting trade in endangered species was "Censored " since it blamed the culture and attitudes of a masochistic/sadistic group who drive this trade.
My own country indulges these folk and plays diplomatic niceties with them.
It is not possible for me to provoke thought amongst these people, since you remove my comments which are designed to hold up a mirror so they can see how the rest of us see them.
So much for freedom of speech.
Its not about education, these are an educated people.
This has been going on for way too long. It just seems odd that the Japanese refuse to recognize that by overfishing bluefin tuna they are ensuring that they won't have any in the not too distant future. If you check out Sushi Otaku, you can see that the crisis could have been addressed long ago, but that the short term interest is destroying any possibility of long term supply. Sustainability is dead. Check out:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thishttp://sushifaq.com/sushiotaku/?s=bluefin
It is too bad that this majestic fish will soon be gone.
@MCMalkemus
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisYes, your self esteem does not depend on fish; It looks like it depends on finger pointing...
I lived in Japan for many years and don't disparage the Japanese people and their fish-consumption, much the same, I believe, as I don't disparage Americans for their general over-consumption. Both countries nurtured appetites in an age when technologically they couldn't be instantly gratified. In our modern world both countries engage in levels of consumption that can't be sustained and I think, among the many reasons, there is one simple one that stands out.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisAffordability. Cheap fish, cheap everything else. No one wants taxes or escalating costs, but there should be a cost involved in bringing something nearer to extinction. Japanese don't want tuna to go extinct and wish others would quit eating it but there is no individual braking mechanism with today's cheap prices (a couple of pieces of tuna sushi or sashimi for a couple of bucks). All the Japanese I know would buy less tuna if it was expensive. As with any expensive thing in Japan it would still be sought after because of its luxury status. I think the American reason is more along the lines of "quantity over quality" or "the bigger the better" so people have fallen in love with anything mass produced, or cheaper by the dozen.
Regardless of the reasons why price trumps the ability of individuals to constantly engage in long-term-altruistic-planning for the society as a whole, there are some methods that could help, as easy as complimenting someone.
People need to start valuing a product because of its ethical nature. We already buy brands (often because of status, see "Vleben goods"); now we need to compliment and give status to people who choose brands, or restaurants, or what have you, that contribute to the common good. Show you are a high-roller by having the same amount of a commodity, but having it ethically, responsibly. Or having less at a greater price, at vogue retailers who subsidize conscience. It will do everyone good to make the common good a popular and sought-after pursuit... not as a quick fad, but like black in New York - a long and enduring fashion woven into the very fabric of culture.
NOTHING trumps POLITICS and PROFITS, NOTHING!!!! What may seem obvious or a no-brainer to most will succomb to the almighty dollar every time. Morals are tossed out the window if a profit can be made or a deal can be cut. JAPAN is still killing and eating whales everyday, do you THINK for one second they will take a pass on the profits of Tuna. When Tuna are gone, they will eat something or someone else. Too bad there isn't a season and limits on politicians.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisConsidering conservationists wrongly called the Blue Whale extinct, I treat any of their pronouncements on fish populations with considerable skepticism.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThanks to ABoxofJosh for pointing out that hamachi is yellowtail (a different fish) not yellowfin tuna via Twitter. The errant attribution, which is not in the actual podcast, has been removed from the transcript as well.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisthat's terrible
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt is not only Hell, but also beyond understanding that any one could suicide like this, let a lone a whole race .
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWhere do you read the article. Acually where is the article?
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this