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Author Topic: Five of eight tuna species at risk of extinction  (Read 1585 times)

troutbreath

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Five of eight tuna species at risk of extinction
« on: July 08, 2011, 08:34:27 AM »

Five of eight tuna species at risk of extinction, SFU study finds
 Pacific albacore remains well-managed and sustainable, authors say
 By Medha, Vancouver SunJuly 8, 2011
  A study by biologists at Simon Fraser University suggests that five out of eight tuna species are at risk of extinction worldwide.

The prized Atlantic bluefin tuna, fished largely on the east coast, is one of the most critically endangered due to overfishing. Connoisseurs of the Pacific albacore, however, can rest assured: It is considered one of the most sustainable fisheries in Canada.

Even though albacore tuna has been put on a watch list of near-endangered species at a global level, stocks in the West Coast region are sustainable, explained Nicholas Dulvy, Canada Research Chair in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation and lead author of the study.

"It is a positive example of how high seas fisheries can be managed sustainably with sufficient political will," he said.

Mike McDermid of Ocean Wise, a Vancouver Aquarium conservation initiative, said that a fishing stock is rated as sustainable if fishing practices are well managed with quotas that ensure stock resilience without also causing harm to other ocean species or the overall habitat.

The Pacific albacore tuna fits these criteria.

A similar quota-based approach could have been taken to ensure survival of the Atlantic bluefin tuna, he said, but at current levels, over-fishing has caused so much damage that a moratorium may be needed to allow the stocks to recover.

The Atlantic bluefin was also listed as endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) this year.

But such a listing does not directly translate to protection, warned Lucy Harrison, co-author of the study with Dulvy.

The Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans will undertake a public consultation process before deciding how best to protect the bluefin.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna is prized for use in sushi, sashimi, and fresh steaks. Stocks were relatively stable until the 1970s when value soared and the U.S. and Japanese longline fleet in the Gulf of Mexico dramatically increased fishing.

The Atlantic bluefin tuna and the Pacific albacore tuna fisheries in Canada are together worth about $40 million annually.

medha@vancouversun.com

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another SLICE of dirty fish perhaps?