Why Are We Eating Bluefin Tuna to Extinction?

[n2doc]

It’s not just because it’s delicious, it’s because we don’t know what we’re doing
by Paul Greenberg November 18, 2012


If you eat fish regularly, you've probably grown used to regularly being told by conservation groups—or that slightly-irritating, politically-correct friend—that certain fish shouldn't be eaten: American Striped bass, Atlantic swordfish, Chilean sea bass and Caspian sturgeon have all been the focus of vocal consumer and chef boycotts. Happily, some of these campaigns have been effective in helping fish populations recover. But amidst all the sustainable seafood media noise, we've somehow managed to let the biggest and arguably most beautiful fish of all slip away.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna—an animal that reaches 1500 pounds, swims at 40 miles per hour, heats its blood 20 degrees above ambient and crosses the breadth of the ocean—is in serious trouble. The Western, American stock has declined by about 80 percent, and by about 70 percent in its Mediterranean spawned-population. Even after the fish garnered a series of major PR hits (such as Greenpeace's and Sea Shepherds' campaigns to liberate netted tuna in the Mediterranean last year and my subsequent New York Times Magazine cover story) the bluefin remains persistently present on menus around the country and around the world.

Why is this the case? Why is any chef out there still serving bluefin?

The answer is complicated, and a work-in-progress. So much so that the answer may change by the time you read this article. But as delegates to the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) sit down this week in Istanbul to discuss the fate of the bluefin, it’s useful to identify a few reasons why we are still eating what ranks among the most abused fish in the sea.


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http://www.gilttaste.com/stories/3296-why-are-we-eating-bluefin-tuna-to-extinction

[LWolf]

1. I'm not.

If I eat any kind of tuna at all, it's not more than once a year. Sometimes not even that.

[geardaddy]

2. K and R'd to 0

[Denninmi]

3. Actually, I can sum it up in one word -- Greed.

Why should this surprise anyone. Other species that were abundant have been driven into extinction or near extinction either intentionally or unintentionally by over-harvesting and degradation of their ecosystems.

Say goodbye to another one. Like the Passenger Pigeon, the Great Auk, and the Dodo.

[slackmaster]

4. The government is keeping all of the biggest fish for itself

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/29825651/detail.html?source=bos

[RebelOne]

5. How about the Atlantic cod? They are being fished into extinction. n/t

[blindpig]

6. Capitalism n/t

[Throd]

8. Is there anything negative that you won't attribute to capitalism?

Acne? Tsunamis? Male pattern baldness?

[dionysus]

10. it's his only catch-phrase. communists don't eat, you see.

:rofl:

[blindpig]

19. Capitalism is the source of most environmental woes.

Pollution of air, water & land

Destruction of habitat

Reduction of biodiversity thru the above and direct exploitation

Climate change

High reproductive rate in humans; Capitalism begets poverty in the masses which is a big indicator of high replacement rate

Now none of these items will disappear overnight with the demise of capitalism and the institution of a socialist planned economy. However, as socialism is a system which exists to meet human needs, not generate profits, and as all of these things are human needs they will of necessity be addressed.
A socialist society must leave the world in as good or better shape for the sake of the following generation. Socialism is the best chance we got.

[texastoast]

7. No tuna here

Trying to get all of us away from meat of any kind, though I love a good wild caught catfish all cornmeal crispy and steaming. But the lake where we caught them is half gone now.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/21/texas-drought-ghost-towns-graves_n_1104563.html

[Throd]

9. I have recently added bluefin to my "do not eat" list.

[Lasher]

11. Just one of these fish sold for $396,700 in Tokyo this year.

Captive breeding might be the only hope for survival of the species.

[closeupready]

12. Bluefin is the stuff made into sushi, not the stuff in cans.

I eat canned tuna once every 3 or 4 weeks, because I like it and it's harvested at an environmentally sustainable level.

[Codeine]

13. "We're" not.

Y'all are.

[provis99]

14. even Alaskan pollock are being fished to extinction.

The problem is that the earth can support about a billion humans; whereas there are seven billion.

[Javaman]

15. This just from the water is wet dept: Because humans are stupid. nt

[otohara]

16. The Japanese

this is their favorite sushi and they pay top dollar - $396,000 recently for a giant bluefin.
The Japanese also buy all the Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee. Yum...oishii

Japan has amazing food - my hubby is Japanese, Japanese....

[Gregorian]

17. Because there are 7,000,000,000 mouths on the planet.

Go ahead and argue that it's something else. I don't care.

[fascisthunter]

20. that, and too many just don't care

nor do we try to curb our consumption of this particular fish on a global level.

[redqueen]

18. K&R