Sustainable Seafood: Alternatives to Bluefin Tuna

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 With the recent $1.76 million sale of a single bluefin tuna in Tokyo, bluefin tuna — the poster child for sustainable seafood — is front page news again.

This article was reposted with permission from Menuism.

With the recent $1.76 million sale of a single bluefin tuna in Tokyo, bluefin tuna — the poster child for sustainable seafood — is front page news again. These apex predators fetch such high prices because their populations are too low to support the demand, primarily fueled by the sushi market.

What’s Going On With Bluefin Tuna?

There are several species of bluefin tuna, and all of the world’s populations have declined dramatically in recent decades. Bluefin tuna are warm-blooded top predators that live for more than 20 years and are slow to mature. Due to their value, bluefin are taken at rates faster than they can repopulate. Many bluefin landed in today’s fleets are younger and smaller animals that haven’t had a chance to reproduce, further reducing their ability to bounce back from the immense fishing pressure.

Question: If the situation is so bad, why don’t we stop fishing bluefin tuna altogether?

  • Published on Mar 20, 2013
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