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Tuna, Bluefin

(Worldwide, Wild-caught)

Rating:
All populations of bluefin tuna are being caught faster than they can reproduce. Bluefin is being further depleted by ranching operations that collect small bluefin and raise them to full size to sell primarily to the sushi market.

Market Names:
Kuromaguro, Horse Mackerel, Atun de aleta azul, Hon Maguro, Toro

Consumer Notes:
Bluefin is known as hon maguro, kuromaguro or toro (tuna belly) when it is prepared for sushi.

Health Alert:
Environmental Defense Fund has issued a health advisory for bluefin tuna due to elevated levels of mercury and PCBs.

Summary:
Bluefin tuna is prized by sushi chefs and the high demand for this fish has taken its toll in the Atlantic, Pacific and Southern Oceans. It's slow to mature and many fisheries are catching young bluefin tuna that haven't had a chance to reproduce.

Bluefin tuna is caught in the Pacific, Atlantic, Southern Oceans and Mediterranean. It's highly migratory and frequently crosses international boundaries during its yearly migration. Numerous nations, including the U.S. and Japan, participate in international management bodies that work to maintain global tuna populations. Unfortunately, these programs are proving ineffective.

Bluefin is caught with a variety of gear, including purse seines and longlines. Longlines are most common and result in large bycatch, including threatened or endangered species such as sea turtles, sharks and seabirds. Since there are no international laws to reduce bycatch, these longline fleets are contributing heavily to the long-term decline of some of these species.

Bluefin tuna ranching, where small bluefin tuna are brought from the wild and fattened in open net pens, is increasingly common. However, the depleted state of all bluefin populations combined with the large quantities of fish that must be used to feed these tuna is a serious conservation concern.

Consumers should "Avoid" all bluefin tuna.

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