FISHED AND DIMINISHED

Two more species of Tuna have been added to the Red List of Threatened Species following a global assessment of the health and vulnerability of families of fish including tuna and swordfish. Of the 61 species of fish evaluated in this report, seven types were designated vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered. These join the Southern Bluefin tuna which is already listed as critically endangered.



Kent Carpenter, one of the study’s authors and the World Conservation Union’s Marine Biodiversity Manager, said that “Southern Bluefin numbers have reached levels that are one twentieth of those recorded before industrial fishing began”.


All of these species of fish suffer from over-fishing, habitat loss and pollution. Tuna are highly migratory fish that cross the waters of various countries, so even if a complete fishing ban were imposed in an attempt to tackle the problem of over-fishing, it would take global co-operation to enforce. Ultimately this decision is unlikely to be reached – per kilo the Bluefin tuna is the most expensive seafood in the world and these high prices mean there is a lack of resolve to tackle the problems posed by overfishing. However, even if legislation won’t be put in place consumers can drive down demand for the fish by simply not buying tuna until such a day as their stocks are healthy again.