Treehugger.com reports that ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tuna) has increased the protections on bluefin tuna and other large fish that have been subjected to overfishing in the last five decades. It is interesting that this ruling has come down, as I just watched the 2009 documentary The End of the Line. This film chronicles the massive overfishing that our world's oceans are facing and while many of us are aware that bluefin tuna are approaching endangered status, I don't think the majority of us are aware of what is going on to protect the fish and how those protections keep getting sidestepped.
Indeed, the film even points out the weakness of ICCAT in declaring the acceptable quota of bluefin tuna harvested each year. A group of scientists who know the ecosystem the tuna live in, and what is required to sustain them - including population numbers - recommend two numbers to ICCAT to use as their quota. One number is to sustainably fish and keep the fish around, the other number is much lower and allows the tuna population to rebound. In the documentary, ICCAT uses neither number but creates a quota that is double the number for simply keeping a sustainable fish population. Even worse, what is actually caught is more than two times the quota that ICCAT allowed.
I love fish as many others do. It is healthy and delicious. I understand that international government leaders (who make up ICCAT) are nervous about curtailing an industry that has an important link to a national economy. However, it behooves both us as consumers and government leaders who determine the quotas of fish to demand better. We all lose out if we bring a species we have used as a food source to extinction because of our gluttony. No one gets to eat the fish, the fisherman who fish the tuna are out of a job, and the world's oceans lose more diversity.
World governments need to enforce the quotas - which they should be able to do a better job of with their new protections added today. They also need to take a cue from the scientists, who know what they are talking about, and provide the necessary quota to at least keep the bluefin around in a way that we are still able to fish them sustainably. We as consumers must choose wisely when we dine out and consider the fish options. Many of the fish we see on the menu, such as Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna, are actually on the verge of population collapse due to overfishing. If we abstain from eating these fish, no matter how delicious, the restaurants will get the picture and stop serving them. If demand goes down, just perhaps the fish may be given a new lease on life and existence. So before you bite into that savory piece of fish, just remember the battle that species is waging just to survive the human race.
Indeed, the film even points out the weakness of ICCAT in declaring the acceptable quota of bluefin tuna harvested each year. A group of scientists who know the ecosystem the tuna live in, and what is required to sustain them - including population numbers - recommend two numbers to ICCAT to use as their quota. One number is to sustainably fish and keep the fish around, the other number is much lower and allows the tuna population to rebound. In the documentary, ICCAT uses neither number but creates a quota that is double the number for simply keeping a sustainable fish population. Even worse, what is actually caught is more than two times the quota that ICCAT allowed.
I love fish as many others do. It is healthy and delicious. I understand that international government leaders (who make up ICCAT) are nervous about curtailing an industry that has an important link to a national economy. However, it behooves both us as consumers and government leaders who determine the quotas of fish to demand better. We all lose out if we bring a species we have used as a food source to extinction because of our gluttony. No one gets to eat the fish, the fisherman who fish the tuna are out of a job, and the world's oceans lose more diversity.
World governments need to enforce the quotas - which they should be able to do a better job of with their new protections added today. They also need to take a cue from the scientists, who know what they are talking about, and provide the necessary quota to at least keep the bluefin around in a way that we are still able to fish them sustainably. We as consumers must choose wisely when we dine out and consider the fish options. Many of the fish we see on the menu, such as Chilean sea bass and bluefin tuna, are actually on the verge of population collapse due to overfishing. If we abstain from eating these fish, no matter how delicious, the restaurants will get the picture and stop serving them. If demand goes down, just perhaps the fish may be given a new lease on life and existence. So before you bite into that savory piece of fish, just remember the battle that species is waging just to survive the human race.
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