Pacific Bluefin Blues
Mighty ocean predator now staring extinction in the face
It’s a sobering fact for those of us who love oceans and sea life: Pacific bluefin tuna have declined by 97 percent compared to the virgin population. The bluefin’s explosive speed even in cold, California waters requires pumping warm blood from its core to its muscles. This makes bluefin an unlucky favorite of Southern California’s sportfishing fleets and high-end sushi restaurants, which serve the red flesh raw.
Without help these amazing fish — capable of growing to nearly 10 feet long and swimming 55 miles per hour — could become the latest species to vanish into extinction as another victim of human mismanagement of the world’s wildlife.
But this final chapter isn’t set in stone just yet.
The Center for Biological Diversity, where I work, just filed a petition to protect the Pacific bluefin under the Endangered Species Act, and we’re calling on the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission to support drastically reduced catch limits during its annual meeting in La Jolla that starts June 27.
A little over a year ago in the San Diego Union-Tribune (“California’s bluefin drowning in a sea of politics,” 4/17/15), I sounded the alarm that the Pacific bluefin was in trouble and that its California fishery should be closed until the population recovers. In that guest editorial, I relayed comments by members of the California Fish and Game Commission saying the same thing and expressing frustration that they didn’t have the authority to address its overfishing.
We can’t continue to let byzantine bureaucratic rules in the United States, and lack of cooperation by Japan and other countries, remain an excuse for inaction in rebuilding fisheries.
Bluefin tuna are one of the oceans’ most remarkable predators. Not only are they among the largest bony fishes in the ocean, they’re also among the fastest. Torpedo-shaped, they can retract their dorsal and pectoral fins into slots to reduce drag.
But bluefin aren’t fast enough to escape today’s demand for seafood. Archaeological evidence spanning 5,000 years shows a longstanding occurrence of bluefin tuna off British Columbia, where bluefin tuna are rarely observed now. Even more remarkable, the majority of fish found in archaeological samples — 83 percent — were over 5 feet long and at least 6 years or older. Currently nearly 98 percent of all Pacific bluefin tuna landed are juveniles — less than 4 years old — and caught before they’ve had a chance to spawn. Mature bluefin tuna exist, but are not being replaced and will soon vanish due to old age.
There are steps that we can, and should, take today to save the Pacific bluefin. First and foremost is to end U.S. fishing and imports of Pacific bluefin tuna to jumpstart its recovery. That would be accomplished by protecting the fish under the Endangered Species Act — a step that would then trigger a plan to ensure it avoids extinction and then is placed back on the path to recovery.
We must also address demand. For several years now, I’ve been working to reduce consumer demand for bluefin tuna through the Center for Biological Diversity’s #BoycottBluefin campaign. Dozens of restaurants and more than 85,000 people signed our pledge not to eat or serve bluefin.
Perversely, as bluefin tuna has grown increasingly rare it’s also grown more popular to dine on: Among wealthy sushi eaters in Japan and elsewhere, it’s fetched increasingly obscene bids during annual auctions in Tokyo. A single bluefin tuna was sold there for $1.76 million in 2013 to a high-end sushi chain.
We know it’ll ultimately require legal action to save Pacific Bluefin, and the Endangered Species Act is the last, best tool available. The United States — and the world — shouldn’t wait any longer to protect these fish. Inaction will only lead to the final disappearance of what was once a mighty and prolific ocean creature.
Catherine W. Kilduff is a staff attorney in the oceans program at the Center for Biological Diversity in Washington, D.C.
