The Bluefin tuna is the largest tuna that exists in the world, with adults growing 4 metres in length and weighing an average of 130-680 kilograms. They have a life span of up to 40 years. The Bluefin tuna have versatile bodies which are crafted for their velocity. The have torpedo shaped bodies which entail retractable pectoral fins, and eyes which are set flush to their bodies. Their unique body structure results in less drag as they swim and migrate across oceans. Bluefin tunas at the top of the food chain and are labelled predators from the moment they hatch, as they seek out schools of fish such as: Herring, Mackerel and Eels. Their sharp vision allows them to hunt by sight and grants them with the sharpest vision of any bony fish. …show more content…
The smaller population spawns in the Gulf of Mexico and is situated in the western part of the Atlantic. The larger population is distributed in the eastern part of the Atlantic, spawning in the Mediterranean. In the past however, they were distributed in the Black Sea with the Mediterranean as its spawning area. Though there are two populations they are not different. The bluefin tuna has manifest a behavioural pattern which shows that they return to their birth places and loyalty to the breeding grounds both in the Mediterranean and in the Gulf of Mexico. Resulting in the implication that adults and juveniles from both populations feed together, particularly off the east coast of North America and in the central Atlantic.
Reasons why the Bluefin Tuna is endangered?
At the moment, the number of Bluefin Tunas is of concern as it is below 15% of what it was before the exploitation. There are three main reason as to why the Bluefin Tuna has become endangered. These include: The Lack of Marine services, Over fishing, Illegal private fishing and their Predatory Status.
PREDATOR
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The illegal fishing is a major issue as the fisheries have been plagued by lack of enforcement and control. The illegal fishing and overfishing links to another reason for endangerment, which is high demand for consumers in high end sushi markets. With the Blue fin Tuna being a highly sought after fish in Asia and a single Bluefin Tuna selling for over $1.75 million, the money drives the fisherman or illegal fisherman to continue to make catches with more refined techniques and as a result the number of Bluefin Tuna’s are decreasing
One of the distinct features of any common resource is that it is a “non-excludable good1”, meaning no one can be prevented from using what is available. As discussed, the consequence of this scenario is that it will produce a socially inefficient outcome. There are differing theories on how to achieve an economically feasible marginal cost and marginal social benefit equilibrium. The difficulty, of course, is to determine what the socially optimal supply level for Bluefin Tuna should be in relation to fish stock restoration and future sustainability as well as empowering the global community to act in unison. The discussion here
In the 1960’s, there was an estimated number of 500,000 dolphins caught as bycatch per year by fishing industries alone(NOAA 8). There was an act, the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection Act, that was passed in 1972. This act’s main goal was to reduce marine mammal bycatch. This act required that “scientific studies were initiated, observers were placed on fishing boats, fishing gear was inspected, and boat captains with high dolphin mortality rates were reviewed(NOAA 8).” The also modified fishing gear in order to reduce how many dolphins were caught. This act was an incredible success, and dolphin bycatch had “declined from about 500,000 to about twenty thousand dolphins per year(NOAA 8).” This shows how much the fishing industries had improved how they fished in order to protect the dolphins. They also made a requirement that all tuna that was caught through dolphin-safe means be labelled(NOAA 9). This allowed consumers to see what they were buying. Therefore, it became in the interest of fishing industries to catch tuna by means other than through dolphins. Today, there are only about three thousand dolphins killed every year through fishing industries(NOAA 10). There is also a clear distinction between tuna that was caught through dolphin-safe means and otherwise. Therefore, the only thing a consumer has to do is to buy
They feed during the day and at night on fishes and cephalopods, and they are known to attack smaller dolphins that are involved in the tuna purse-seine fishery in the Pacific Ocean.[4]
[Scientist Amanda Nickson from The Pew Charitable Trusts] has recommended, echoed by many other environmental groups and scientists, that the bluefin tuna fishery should be suspended, at least until there’s more effective management that might prevent the overfishing of the bluefin tuna (Walsh).
Economic and Environmental importance: Recently, Skipjack Tuna has become the most fished Tuna in the world; they account for 40% by weight of all of the Tuna caught in the ocean. Skipjack Tuna are usually caught with purse seines or by hook and line, but their tendency to group together when Fish Aggregate Devices (FAD) are
Black sea bass are fairly stout-bodied fish, with a long dorsal fin, and large pectoral and pelvic fins. The rounded tail sometimes has a long streamer trailing out from the top edge. Each gill cover has a flat spine near the outer edge. Mature males have a fleshy dorsal hump just anterior to the dorsal fin. The background color of the black sea bass (smokey gray, brown, or bluish black) is marked with darker patches and light speckles. The belly is only slightly lighter than the sides. Young sea bass are green or brown with a dark lateral stripe running from the head to the tail. Juvenile and adult black sea bass feed upon a variety of benthic invertebrates such as rock crabs, hermit crabs, squids, and razor clams. Black sea bass adults typically
This species, which has the brightest colors of all other types of tunas, is so-named for its golden-yellow stripe on the fish’s upper sides, along with its bright-yellow fins. Some of the largest yellowfin tuna, weighing more than 200 pounds, can be found here in the waters of Pedasi.
It is not educational. Teaching adults and children to dump five tonnes of critically endangered southern Bluefin tuna into cage should not be considered as educational [2, Pge 1]. Since the tuna are going to be handfed and constantly in contact with humans they will not display
100,000. This number might seem large, but with 96.4% of the population declining after fisherman started hunting for these animals, the coveted fish might not be around for much longer. The Thunnus SPP, or better known as the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, is one of the largest bony fish in the world. At one and a half Mr. Zunic’s in height and 200 bags of potatoes in weight (6-10 feet, 1500 pounds according to animalplanet.com), the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is almost invincible, to predators in the fish class of vertebrates that is. The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is critically endangered due to overfishing. One fish was once sold for $1.76 million due to the fish’s delicy. The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is highly popular at high-end restaurants around the world. Boy, a tuna roll sure does sound great right about now.
Most importantly blue sharks are known for their distinct coloring which allows them to blend in with the ocean water. Blue sharks inhabits deep waters in the world's temperate and tropical oceans. Other blue sharks that prefer cooler waters migrate long distances, such as from New England to South America. Squid are important prey for blue sharks, but their diet includes invertebrates, such as cuttlefish and pelagic octopuses, as well as lobster shrimp, crab, and a lot of bony fishes. Blue sharks have triangular teeth that eventually allow it to easily catch hold of slippery prey.
According to a study done by Living Planet Report in 2015, 29% of the world’s fishing stocks are considered overfished and an additional 61% is fully exploited with no possibility to produce more fish. Our environment is currently afflicted by a number of different problems, one of which is overfishing. Overfishing is defined by FishOnline as, “Fishing with a sufficiently high intensity to reduce the breeding stock levels to such an extent that they will no longer support a sufficient quantity of fish for sport or commercial harvest.” The overfishing situation is being exacerbated by non-sustainable and destructive fishing practices and unfair fisheries partnership agreements; while there are currently attempts being made at fixing these problems and their effects on overfishing, nothing has been extremely effective.
Many breeds of fish are being captured at a faster rate than they can reproduce. Some species such as orange roughy fishing became popular in New Zealand in the 1970’s. Over time, it spread to many countries around the world. In the last 20 years, there has been a decline in catch up to 75%. It is no longer common to see in grocery stores as well as restaurants. The amounts of fish that are captured and distributed around the world are alarming opposed to the rate the fish can multiply.
So if you spot a group of any of these, there are likely to be some tuna nearby. Found in tropical and sub-tropical waters, yellowfin are a prize catch due to their speed and strength. They're a challenging catch that's delicious too.
According to the United Nations, 17% of fish stocks worldwide are currently overexploited; 52% are fully exploited; and 7% are depleted. This means that only an estimated 20% of worldwide fish stocks are not already at or above their capacity(Seafarms, 2013). Catches of Pacific herring have decreased by 71% since the 1960s, with Atlantic herring catches falling by 63%. Atlantic Cod catches have fallen by 69% in the same time(Seafarms, 2013). These are just a few of many facts and statistics on the topic of overfishing. The effects of these statistics and facts impact people’s and animal's lives around the
The triple bottom line of fishing is influenced by sustainability in many ways. One way is the demand for fish increases with population. As well there are new laws limiting fishing, ultimately forcing once