Yesterday, the U.S. announced its support for a proposal to list Atlantic bluefin tuna on "Appendix I" of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
In plain speak, this would effectively ban trade of this highly endangered species -- long the poster child for overfishing.
The bluefin tuna is a remarkable animal: it crosses ocean basins, traveling thousands of miles; reaches a size comparable to dolphins and swims in bursts of speed up to 30 miles an hour; is warm-blooded, with a heat exchange system that enables it to take advantage of deep, cold food-rich waters. Its design is efficient and effective, and it's one of the ocean's supreme predators.
In the 1970's with the advent of longline fishing and distant-water fleets fishing far from home, fishing for bluefin began in earnest. Bluefin were much sought after for their rich belly meat, especially prized for sushi.
As the market price soared, bluefin became scarcer and more desirable. Populations around the world started to fall dangerously low. -- especially in the Atlantic.
Management of species like bluefin, which appear to have home bases breeding and spawning but otherwise are highly migratory, is a complex business. The U.S. has a quota for fishing bluefin in its waters, as do the other countries through whose waters the bluefin travel to and from the Mediterranean. Outside national waters, fisheries management resides with ICCAT -- the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. (Sadly, it's also known by some environmental groups as the International Commissino to Catch All Tuna.) On its, bluefin populations have sunk into serious decline, and quotas remain far too high to allow the species to rebound. Last year, the commission overruled its own scientific experts and set quotas higher than scientists believe are needed to begin restoring their numbers.
U.S. support for the CITES listing is a way to put pressure on ICCAT to adjust its quotas and help bring this species back from the brink. Either way, something needs to happen soon, before it's simply too late.
Hi, moon jellies have a very mild sting, so they are one species you can touch without being hurt! However, I would caution against touching any jellies, just to be safe!
Posted by: Alison Barratt | November 24, 2009 at 07:31 AM
what happens if you touch the moon jellyfish?
Posted by: ariana | November 20, 2009 at 01:40 PM