It was with alarm that I read this morning in New Scientist that the bluefin tuna population in the Atlantic Ocean has been reduced by 90 percent since the 1970s. Bluefin tunas elsewhere are also in decline, and the rate of decline is accelerating.
Barbara Block of the Tuna Research and Conservation Center in Monterey, California, has just presented her findings on the bluefin tuna crisis at a meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Boston. She warns, “Their population is on the brink of collapse, and it has happened on our watch, in my lifetime.”
On the brink of collapse? Like Cod, suggests New Scientist.
What can you do?
Action One: Cut your consumption of seafood in total, not just tuna. Marine ecosystems are complex, not just collections of individual species. By helping to reduce the harvest from the seas, you will contribute to the general health of life under the waves.
Action Two: Donate to Tag A Giant, a program that supports scientific research into tuna ecology so that fisheries management can be intelligently adjusted to a truly sustainable level.
Action Three: Support Oceana, an organization devoted to the protection of life in the oceans.
Action Four: As with every environmental issue, there’s some benefit you can make in just cutting your consumption of energy. Human consumption of unclean energy contributes to climate change, and the acidification of the oceans, making it more difficult for crustaceans and other marine invertebrates to make their skeletons, leading to increased potential for catastrophic rifts in marine food webs.
