Bluefin Tuna Research Paper

Do you know what the biggest animal ever to live on Earth is? You would be wrong if you speculated a dinosaur, elephant, or giraffe. You may be surprised to find out that the biggest animal ever to live on Earth is the Blue Whale and it is still alive today. The Blue Whale weighs as much as 33 elephants and consumes about 4 tons of food a day. I bet if you knew of an animal that was as long as 3 school buses you would want to keep this animal in the world forever. Although, the Blue Whale may not stay for long, many things affect the blue whale’s inhabitance, mainly the acts of humans have caused the Blue Whale’s to become endangered. Though, if you know the information about them you can help.

Bluefin tuna consumption poses a risk to oceans and people. Despite being an endangered species and the subject of a worldwide agreement to not over-fish, Bluefin tuna is still served at sushi restaurants around the world. It's beautiful and delicious and sushi eaters are willing to pay a premium for the fatty, meaty fish. The truth is, many people either don't know about the tuna's status or don't believe it's as bad as many scientists are saying.

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

Although bluefin tuna does provide food and livelihoods for many people, they are more than just seafood. The bluefin tuna is a top predator in the marine food chain, maintaining an important balance in the ocean environment (Walsh). Author Brian Walsh writes,“

At New Melones Reservoir, despite the continuing snow melt, the water level dropped another foot last week. The water clarity is good and the temperature is slowly coming up, now averaging 76 to 81-degrees. Trout are showing signs of schooling over deep water and feeding on shad minnows. Trollers have been finding trout at 40 to 60 feet with Speedy Shiners, Needlefish, and ExCel lures. Night fishermen have been doing well by anchoring over fairly deep water and lowering their light to about 20 feet. This attracts plankton, which in turn, attracts shad, which will attract larger fish. Live minnows and nightcrawlers are choice baits. The kokanee numbers may be down, but the quality is good with some going 15 to 18 inches. Bladed lures may work well in deeper water as they create vibration which will attract fish. Scented corn on each hook is important. Big trout winner at Glory Hole Sports was, again, Bob James, of Murphys, with a 2-pound rainbow caught at 55 feet in the main lake. Big catfish winner was John Tennant, of Twain Harte, with an 11-pound, 15-ounce fish caught with sardine bait in the main lake. Bass fishing is good for those who specialize in that type of fishing. Hayden Lee, of Angels Camp, recently caught a 10 pound Largemouth Bass on a topwater lure and he had no net in the boat. He and a friend were able to boat the fish for photos before release.

What is clear is that the fishing industry nearly wiped the black sea bass out. While fishermen take on the victim role because they can't make ends meet, the black sea bass is just trying to survive. They're listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List since 1996. And the fish owe their alarming status to

"Big Fish in Troubled Waters" by Stephen Ornes informs you that our oceans and water life are being overfished resulting in a decrease in fish.

The Bighead and Silver Carp are invasive species that were imported by China to control food. They mainly affect the food supply resulting in less sport fish. There isn't a whole lot of Big Heads and Silver Carp, but some were caught in the Mississippi River.

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.

Invasive species have caused losses in biodiversity and shifts in ecosystem function (Lovell et al. 2006). Under the Executive Order 13112, species are considered invasive if they are “an alien species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health.” Aquatic invasive species have been intentionally and unintentionally introduced to other parts of the world through the transportation and release of ballast water, pet trade and aquaculture (Keller et al. 2011, Rahel and Olden 2008). Examples of aquatic invaders throughout the world include the Topmouth Gudgeon (Pseudorasbora parva) in the United Kingdom and the Eastern Gambusia (Gambusia holbrooki) in Australia. The Topmouth

The Atlantic and Pacific Coasts fish stocks overall show little improvement, despite the management strategies that have been implemented to try to increase fish population. This is primarily due to overexploitation

Salinity tolerance of yolk-sac larvae and swim-up fry of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus), blue catfish (I. furcatus), and channel catfish, I. punctatus, ♀ × blue catfish, I. furcatus, ♂ hybrid catfish was investigated at 0, 3, 6, and 9 ppt salinity. No yolk-sac larvae or swim-up fry survived for channel catfish, blue catfish, and hybrid catfish at 9 ppt for either stage of development, and no mortality was observed at 0 ppt for yolk-sac larvae for all genetic groups. Survival among the genetic groups was different (P < 0.05) by day 3 and day 4 post-hatch at 3 ppt, (P < 0.05) with blue catfish > hybrid catfish > channel catfish for salinity tolerance. At 6 ppt blue catfish had the highest survival for yolk-sac fry through day 2, but by day 3 blue catfish had the lowest tolerance and channel catfish the highest.

There is a common conception that due to the immense size of oceans and it’s species’ richness, species population decline is a rarity. However, such decline may result in a damaged marine ecosystem. A top predator that plays a key role in the marine ecosystem is the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Thunnus thynnus. This species is a warm blooded predator that are “highly migratory species that may reach a weight of 900 kg” (). The Western Northern Atlantic Bluefin Tuna migrate primarily to the Gulf of Mexico for spawning during late spring where “larvae are in preferred water temperature ranging from 20 degrees Celsius to 25 degree Celsius” (). They then migrate back to the northern West Atlantic for feeding where there “life span is an average of

In the image, the tone and connotation behind the text emphasizes societies preferred interest of more well-known and familiar endangered animals and their conservation as opposed to the Bluefin tuna and overfishing. The question’s sarcastic and harsh tone is strategically used to appeal to the viewer’s feeling of guilt to help raise awareness for the issue. The advertisement leaves the viewers feeling guilty about the fact that they have not paid attention to the problem of tuna fish going extinct. By invoking feelings of remorse and leaving viewers with the negative notion behind the text, it motivates the viewer to do something that will help end overfishing, like providing donations or support, to reduce their feelings of shame.