Tuna Fishing

Tuna Fishing

On the eastern coast of America, the Atlantic bluefin tuna faces a difficult road ahead. Tighter fishing restrictions are needed for the continued survival of the species. At the moment, there are two separate fishing quotas for western and eastern Atlantic tuna, because experts thought the two communities never mixed. Studies conducted recently, however, suggest that this is not the case and in fact tuna do swim freely between the areas. Scientists assure the public that a new fishing policy is necessary to keep the tuna population stable. In fact, these scientists believe it is time to introduce management measures that recognize the reality of the co-existing mixed communities.

Tuna Fishing History

A bulky marine predator, the Atlantic bluefin tuna can weigh as much as 1,500 lbs. Tuna fishing draws fishermen from all over the world to the waters of the Atlantic to hunt. They come from every corner because the cash reward for bagging these creatures is astounding. In Japan, one bluefin tuna can bring in up to $100,000, so needless to say, tuna fishing is quite a profitable endeavor. In recent years, this unmatched pace of international tuna fishing (primarily for the bluefin) has as possible de-stabilized the population in the Atlantic. Since the 1970’s, the total number of fish in the western portion of the zone has fallen by over 80% according to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. The eastern population has also dropped enough to raise a red flag. There has never been a greater need for legislation to protect these giants.

Tuna Fish

Studies have been conducted for the past 10 years on the migrations of tuna. Tags fastened onto these fish tracked their every movement. It discovered that they travel thousands of miles across the ocean, to depths below 3,000 feet. It is part of their life cycle to search wide areas for food and mates. The distance they traveled differs with season, age and size, but overall, the trackings were fairly similar. The study also uncovered a previously disbelieved fact: the western stock and eastern stock in the North Atlantic lived separately. This was a widespread belief for many years. It was discovered though that the western and eastern stocks travel long distances together. The western stock spawns in the Gulf of Mexico mostly, while the eastern stock tends to spawn in the Mediterranean Sea. Western bluefin were tracked to swim from the Gulf to the Mediterranean with the easterners. Tuna fishing in the has a long way to go to recover from the barrage of fishermen in Atlantic waters.