A world without tuna?

The world's appetite for sushi is threatening to wipe out the 'tigers of the sea.'

Tuna, straight off the boat.
(Image credit: Creative Commons)

What’s happening to bluefin tuna?

They’re nearing extinction. The World Wildlife Fund recently predicted that if current fishing trends continue, bluefins could virtually disappear from the Atlantic by 2012. The species’ global spawning stock is now down to as little as 5 percent of its 1940s levels. Over the past 50 years or so, the adult bluefin population in the Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean has fallen 74 percent. The situation is even worse in the Western Atlantic, where the spawning stock is down 82.5 percent. And the fish that are being caught are smaller than ever; the average weight of a tuna caught in the Mediterranean has dropped from 275 pounds to about 143 pounds. While concerns have also been raised about the stocks of other tuna species—including yellowfin, skipjack, and albacore—the bluefin is by far the most imperiled.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up