Tuna Fish In Fear Of Extinction

All Species of Bluefin Tuna Fish In Danger of Extinction Warn International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Scientists have revealed disturbing facts that at least five out of the eight tuna fish species face serious threat of extinction and conservationists have made an urgent appeal for action to help solve the huge problem of over-fishing.

Without immediate action to help them, three tuna fish species face global extinction while there are two more species of the fish also facing dangerous consequences.

When marine scientists investigated all species of ‘scombird’ fish, including tuna, mackerel and billfishes, they found that seven of the 61 known species were under threat mainly because of the over-fishing and the dificulites encountered when trying to regualte worldwide fisheries who exploit their stocks.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) warn that because being a high-value fish that all three bluefin tuna species, Southern, Atlantic and pacific are under considerable threat of extinction with the Southern Bluefish tuna already being a critically endangered fish.

Close and vulnerable to extinction are the Bigeye, Yellowfin and Albacore tuna fish or will face the threat of extinction without immediate protective measures being put in place to protect them.

“All three Bluefin tuna species are susceptible to collapse under continued excessive fishing pressure.

“The Southern Bluefin has already essentially crashed with little hope of recovery.

“If no changes are made to current fishing practices, the Western Atlantic Bluefin stocks are at risk of collapse as they are showing little sign that the population is rebuilding following a significant reduction in the 1970s.

” Most of the economically valuable species such as Tuna are at the top of the marine food chain, and their decline could have negative impacts on other species.

“They are also long-lived, with slower reproductive rates which means populations take longer to recover”, warns the Manager of IUCN’s Marine Biodiversity Unit Dr Kent Carpenter.