Classifying the Global Environmental Problem of Bluefin Tuna

After our class in which we talked about classifying global environmental problems, I was left pondering various examples and which category they would fall into. For whatever reason, bluefin tuna and the species’ race to extinction kept popping into my head.

For those of you that do not know, the bluefin tuna has long been a food staple in the Mediterranean area. Around the 1960s, it rose in popularity in the international market because technological advancement allowed for greater commercial exploitation. Additionally, Japan’s demand for bluefin tuna has skyrocketed due to its delicacy in sushi and sashimi. - a demand so high that a bluefin tuna has been sold at an auction for $1.76 million.

The bluefin tuna is an incredible fish. There are three different types: the Atlantic bluefin tuna, the Pacific bluefin tuna, and the Southern Bluefin tuna. All are in danger. They can grow to weigh over one thousand pounds, swim up to 50mph, and be 6 - 10 feet in length. They are a predatory fish, eating other small fish such as sardines and mackerels. They are also rare in that they are warm-blooded fish.

Since we started widespread tuna-fishing decades ago, scientists have estimated that the Pacific bluefin tuna population has declined by 96.4%. They believe this species could be extinct within a year. One of the biggest problems is that tuna can live up to fifteen years old, but we catch them while we’re young. This means they do not get a chance to grow old enough to reproduce, which somewhat explains why they are diminishing so quickly.

The bluefin tuna is certainly a shared natural resource problem. The existence of them extends across all borders and oceans. In class, we decided a solution to shared natural resource problems is a joint management regime. In 2010, officials from around the world met in Qatar for the United Nations Conference on International Trade in Endangered Species. The United States and the European Union pushed to implement a global ban on the trade of bluefin tuna. However, nations such as Indonesia, Canada and Japan (the largest global consumers of bluefin) rejected this notion. It might be important to note that even if such a ban was implemented, there exists a huge illegal market for bluefin tuna.

The bluefin tuna is also a trans-boundary externality problem. Let’s say Japan allows unlimited bluefin tuna fishing in its waters. Let’s also say, across the ocean, America has banned all bluefin tuna fishing. bluefin tuna is found on both sides of the Atlantic, and can travel from one side to the other in 60 days. They truly are everywhere. If Japan is allowing unlimited fishing, America, along with the rest of the world, will absolutely be impacted by it. To stop the extinction of the bluefin tuna, all countries must be involved for it to truly work.

On top of this, the bluefin tuna is also a global commons problem. They exist and play a role in our world’s precious oceans. They are both a predator and a prey, and the disappearance of them could have huge negative consequences for the ocean ecosystem. Decreasing the biodiversity of the world should always be avoided.

I believe immediate action must be taken in order to prevent the extinction of bluefin tuna. A global environmental regime would be really helpful, because we are up against the strong force of consumer demand as well as domestic economies such as Japans. As we discussed in class, a solution to global commons problems is voluntary restraint, but the chances of this seem extremely small. I cannot help but be pessimistic about this situation. All of the evidence of bluefin tuna’s race to extinction is piling up on the table, but countries such as Japan and Canada do not care. They will continue to fish, farm, and feast on bluefin tuna until they are completely gone.

Sources:

"The Pacific Bluefin Tuna is Going, Going..."

"The 11th Hour Strikes: Saving the Bluefin Tuna From Extinction" 

Bluefin Tuna