The bluefin tuna, the largest of all tuna species, missed being placed on the endangered species list, but the majestic fish prized by sushi lovers will be listed as a "species of concern" by the federal agency that oversees America's fisheries.After extensive scientific review, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced Friday it has determined that bluefin tuna does not warrant protection under the Endangered Species Act. The agency conducted the review after the
Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition seeking an endangered status for the fish, claiming the species faces possible extinction because of overfishing and habitat degradation, including effects of the BP oil spill on bluefin spawning grounds in the Gulf of Mexico.Even though bluefin will not be listed as endangered or threatened, NOAA officials said they still have concerns about the fish, which can swim at speeds faster than 50 mph and grow to more than half a ton in size.
The U.S. government did put the Atlantic bluefin tuna on an environmental
watchlist as a "species of concern" on Friday, and will keep checking for any impact on these fish from the 2010 BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.At this time, the species is not threatened or endangered and so will not be listed as such under the Endangered Species Act, which would trigger immediate protections, officials at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in a telephone briefing.
Atlantic bluefin tuna spawn in the Gulf of Mexico in the vicinity of last
year's BP Deepwater Horizon spill, but so far there is no evidence that the species is being harmed. However, satellite data from the European Space Agency shows 20% of juvenile bluefin tuna killed by oil from the spawning year 2010 (right - click on image for larger image)."While the NOAA team found that presently available information did not support listing, it also recognized the need to continue to monitor the
potential long-term effects of the spill on bluefin tuna and the overall Gulf ecosystem," Eric Schwaab, of NOAA's Fisheries Service, told reporters.The time period of the agency's peer-reviewed study did not allow for full consideration of the impact from the oil spill, Schwaab said.
NOAA will revisit this decision by early 2013, when more information about the spill's impacts will be available. There will also be an updated
assessment of Atlantic bluefin tuna stocks by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the global agency that monitors the fish's management and conservation.Susan Lieberman of the Pew Environment Group applauded NOAA's decision to closely monitor the species, but said the
agency should close the Gulf of Mexico to long-line fishing for other species to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna's spawning grounds."They've got it on a watchlist, they agree it's in trouble and they need to take action," Lieberman said by telephone.
Long-line fishing operations continue to ply the Gulf for yellowfin tuna (right)
and swordfish, but now use so-called weak hooks to protect bluefin tuna that spawn in the area, Schwaab said.Outside of the Gulf of Mexico, bluefin tunas are not much better off. The Atlantic bluefin tuna is a large
migratory fish found in the western and eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea (left). This species is at serious risk of extinction if unsustainable fishing practices in the Mediterranean are not stopped.Bluefin tuna populations worldwide have come under scrutiny for decades, with conservationists saying stocks are over-fished and in jeopardy. Because the fish swim such long distances, they are managed by the International Commission for the Conservation of
Atlantic Tunas, a multi-governmental organization based in Spain. The species is managed as two stocks — the western Atlantic and the eastern Atlantic, which includes the Mediterranean Sea.Tuna populations have fallen 80 percent in the past 40 years, said Katherine Kilduff, staff attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity's oceans program.
Although NOAA fell short of listing tuna as endangered, the agency's concerns about the fish might serve as a wake-up call for ICCAT and others to institute new safeguards for the fish, she said. The fish is under threat from a lack of enforcement of existing laws, especially in the Mediterranean, from the BP oil spill and from long-line fishermen inadvertently catching and killing them, she said.
The U.S. accounts for about 5 percent of the global bluefin harvest, with more than half the catch being exported. Most of the catch goes to Japan. Atlantic bluefin tuna can fetch more than $100,000 each in markets such as Japan, though stocks have declined by more than 80 percent since the 1970s due to overfishing.Last November, ICCAT set fishing quotas for this year at 12,900 tons, a reduction of 600 tons from the previous year, but a reduction that
environmental groups said was too small to ensure recovery of the species in the Mediterranean.Last week, Europe's fisheries chief called for close monitoring of the trade in bluefin tuna caught in Libyan waters, fearing illegal catches could push the species closer to regional extinction. WWF and Greenpeace have called for a suspension of the fishing season which opened May 14th.
Dwindling Numbers of Bluefin Tuna
Source:
Reuters,"Atlantic bluefin tuna on U.S. environmental watchlist", accessed May 28, 2011
CBS News, "Bluefin tuna kept off endangered species list", accessed May 28, 2011
WWF, "Bluefin tuna in crisis", accessed May 28, 2011
NOAA, "Fishwatch - Atlantic Bluefin Tuna", accessed May 28, 2011
