Pacific Spirit Marine Institute
Bluefin Tuna: The Oceans Gold Rush!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Did you know that the Bluefin Tuna is the most valuable fish in the ocean?
Thirty years ago this fish sold for as little as five cents a pound.
Today one single bluefin tuna can sell for between $10,000.00 to $20,000.00. In fact the highest price on record for a single bluefin tuna was $80,000.00 and that record could be broken as demand for them goes up, and their numbers decline.
A mature bluefin can weigh as much as 1,300 pounds, but we won’t be seeing many of those as time goes by. Most bluefin tuna never reach this size before they are caught. The average bluefin catch today is less than 1,000 pounds; not given the chance to mature.
One might think that at $75.00 for a single serving the demand just might go down. But, in Japan where demand is the highest in spite of the astronomical prices it is only now being considered to be a luxury. The Japanese consume more seafood per capita than any other country in the world.
The bluefin tuna can reach speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. They are one of the fastest swimmers in the ocean, but they can’t out swim demand.
The more we study these tuna the more we learn about their intelligence. These fish, like the dolphins, have social behavior patterns. They have been observed actually playing and socializing with each other and they have learned to cooperate with dolphins when feeding. In fact this sounds more civilized than some peoples of the earth.
Only 1 in 40 million bluefin tuna survive. This is a horrific number!
As the late Carl Sagan said “…A new consciousness is developing that sees the earth as a single organism, and recognizes that a single organism that is at war with itself is doomed”
Tomorrow we will look at Longline Fishing, which is how bluefin tuna is caught. In the meantime, opt out of that tuna sushi and have the rice and vegetables instead!
Labels: Bluefin Tuna, Carl Sagan, Japan, Longline Fishing, Ocean
© 2009, Pacific Spirit Marine Institute.
Bluefin Tuna: The Oceans Gold Rush!
