Bluefin-tuna population in danger of extinction

Bluefin-tuna population in danger of extinction

SYDNEY, Australia (AP): The population of southern bluefin
tuna, prized as sashimi in Japan, is at risk of commercial
extinction if fishing continues at the current high level, a
conservation group study said yesterday.

An increasing unregulated catch by Taiwan, Indonesia and South
Korea is taking a heavy toll on the tuna population, the report's
author said.

The Review of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishery: Implications
for Ecologically Sustainable Management study found the number of
mature southern bluefin tuna was believed to be at the lowest
level ever recorded.

Undertaken by Traffic Oceania, the wildlife trade monitoring
program for non-government conservation group World Wide Fund for
Nature, the report said the fish population throughout the
southern oceans had plummeted to well below the biologically safe
level.

Traffic Oceania senior research officer Glenn Sant said the
current tuna population was now less than 9 percent of that
recorded in 1960.

"Given the serious implications that a collapse in stock would
have on the species, ecosystem and fishing industry we need to
adopt a precautionary (catch) approach," Sant said.

He said the total annual catch of the fish, now set at 11,750
metric tons, should be reduced by 35 percent to help ensure the
number of breeding fish return to safe levels by the year 2020.

The fish are highly migratory and the cooperation of many
nations and strong international catch restraints are essential
if the fishery is to rebuild to safe and sustainable levels, he
said.

He said they were among the most valuable fish of the southern
seas, with much of the catch ending up as sashimi.

Australia, Japan and New Zealand are the three major fishing
nations who are convention members.

The small number of member countries has raised concerns about
the increasing catch by non-member countries.