TOKYO – The Pacific bluefin tuna has fallen to historically low levels in recent years — a victim of heavy fishing and Japan’s boundless appetite for sushi.
A new assessment published on Monday estimates that bluefin tuna numbers in the northern Pacific Ocean are still 96 per cent below their historic baseline — the same as last year. This number was pointed out by Amanda Nickson, director of global tuna conservation for the Pew Charitable Trusts.
What’s more, the assessment notes, the vast majority of Pacific bluefin tuna now being caught are under the age of two — suggesting that many tuna are being fished before they have the chance to reproduce.
The Pacific bluefin tuna — prized for its tender red meat — has never been considered an endangered species, unlike its counterpart in the Atlantic Ocean. But, Nickson argues, data from recent years points to the need for serious conservation measures in the Pacific — and soon. “This is a textbook example of what happens when fishing nations turn a blind eye to decades of severe overfishing,” she noted.
There are three main species of bluefin tuna in the world: the Atlantic, the Southern, and the Pacific. The first two are officially listed as endangered species. The Pacific bluefin, by contrast, has received far less attention —in part because it wasn’t even recognised as a distinct species until 1999.
Yet Pacific bluefin tuna have long been fished heavily at all stages of their lives. The tuna start off in spawning grounds near the coast of Japan and then make the multiyear journey across the Pacific to the Baja California coast in search of food. Fully grown fish can weigh up to 1,000 pounds:
About 80 per cent of Pacific bluefin tuna are caught for use in sushi restaurants in Japan, where a single large fish can fetch tens of thousands of dollars on the open market. In 2013, one tuna was auctioned off for $1.7million — this year, the top price was a relatively paltry $70,000.
