Bluefin Tuna

Physical description:

  • The bluefin tuna is the most endangered of all tuna species. 
  • They are a marine fish species. 
  • They can grow up to 10 feet long and weigh up to 1,500 pounds. 
  • Bluefin tuna have a nearly circular cross second giving them the ability to swim massive distances efficiently. They can swim up to 50 miles per hour and can cross oceans in just weeks. 




Habitat:

  • They are a highly migratory species. 
  • For example most Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn in the gulf of Mexico and significant harvesting of these tuna is done in the Mediterranean Sea. 
  • Bluefin tuna live in the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, and Pacific oceans.



Niche:

Bluefin tuna are a top predator within the marine ecosystem. They feed on smaller fish and crustaceans. They are hunted by killer whales and sharks. The primary cause of the decline of the bluefin tuna is overfishing. Bluefin tuna are prized for the making of sushi in Japan. 

Cause of Decline:

Approximately 1.6 million bluefin tuna remain approximately 3% of its population before widespread harvesting. There are many regulations in place to limit overfishing of bluefin tuna. Laws in the US have a minimum size of the tuna to be able to be harvested. Fishing for bluefin tuna is strictly regulated in the gulf of Mexico a vital spawning area for the fish. 

Consequence of Extinction:

Bluefin tuna are vital to the marine food chain as top predators. If they were to go extinct it would cause massive overcrowding of prey species leading to larger ecosystem collapse. If the bluefin tuna were to go extinct it would cause human fishing to drop lower down the food chain causing even further damage to the fragile marine food chain. 

Current Conservation efforts:

Governments across the world have set fishing quotas as well as minimum size requirements for harvest. There are also struct regulations for fishing for other types of fish in bluefin tuna hot spots to prevent accidental catching of bluefin tuna. There are also strong protections in place to protect the bluefin tunas spawning areas. 

Use of geographical data: 

The use of tags on the tuna has allowed the movement of the tuna to be tracked. This has led to the protection of several important spawning areas. Using this and other data a more precise understanding of tuna spawning behavior can be used to protect specific areas and ban targeted bluefin fishing. There are several ways to reduce bluefin tuna overfishing. 

How to help:

  • The first may seem rather obvious but reduce or stop eating bluefin tuna. If there is less demand the fish will lose value and fewer will be harvested. 
  • Stop eating at restaurants that serve bluefin tuna 
  • One of the best ways to help bluefin tuna is to get legal protections in place for the fish. If you are able, write to a politician and ask them to protect bluefin tuna. 
  • The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas set harvesting quotas as far back as 1982 and joining their mission can help the bluefin tuna. 
  • Donating to the WWF. The WWF has been conducting research on the bluefin tuna to allow for better legal protections of the fish. 

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