The Beacon
Wha? Wednesday: Bluefin for Sale
As you know, Wednesdays are normally devoted to blogging about the latest whale news. But I’ve redubbed today’s post in honor of yesterday's news about a certain sleek giant of the sea who continues to fetch exorbitant auction prices as it heads toward extinction. It makes you go, “Wha?”
Yesterday, a 513-pound bluefin tuna sold for $177,000 -- the most since 2001 -- in an auction at Tokyo’s famous fish market.
Ironically, the sale took place amid a decline in Japanese tuna consumption due to the nation’s worst recession since World War II.
So as Tokyo’s fish market representatives fret over how to keep c
ustomers in line at the tuna counter, ocean conservationists are fretting over how to keep enough tuna in the sea to survive until next year’s auction, which promises to produce the same response as this year: Wha?
5 Comments
January 26, 2010 - 16:00
I know this must sound out
I know this must sound out there, but I think some sort of dialogue with the Unification Church might be productive. They have controlled a huge portion of the sushi trade in the US for the past several decades. They own commercial fishing fleets and fish processing interests worldwide including in Massachusetts, Alabama and Alaska. As a major player in the sushi industry, convincing them to adopt sustainable practices or stop fishing endangered species such as the blue fin could have an considerable effect on the sushi supply in the US.
January 18, 2010 - 22:29
enough-talk-time-to-back-tuna-
My comment is this:
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/enough-talk-time-to-back-tuna-trade-ban
In march some 175 nations will decide whether Bluefin tuna is put on the CITES appendix 1. This will allow a complete commercial trade ban for a specie that amply apply for the minimum requirements of Appendix 1.
Make heard we want them on the CITES1 and don't want to see them go extinct.
Sign above petition by copy and paste it into your browser. Thank you.
January 7, 2010 - 12:37
January 6, 2010 - 16:40
John Harder
January 31, 2010 - 14:37
Bluefin on the beach
Just FYI,
Mexican Bluefin tuna pens busted up in last week's weather, scattering 40# Bluefin on the beach south of San Diego. People were grabbing them out of the surf & taking them home, still floundering. Some say the price for bluefin has been dropping, and hard to justify all the costs for bluefin ranching. Supply & demand?
In my opinion, Ranching, or farming Bluefin tuna should be BANNED. If you take them out of the wild, how will they breed?
HMS(highly migratory species) should be allowed to migrate, not stuck in a cage!!!
More info: sustainabletuna.com