Tuna ‘at Risk Of Extinction’

According to conservationists, who have called for urgent action to tackle the problem, five out of the eight tuna species are at risk of being lost forever. Three varieties are threatened with global extinction, while two others will be in danger without action to help them, according to research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

“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,” says Dr Kent Carpenter, manager of IUCN’s marine biodiversity unit and an author of the study.

“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,” he added.

The study, published in the Science journal, looked at population levels of all ‘scombrid’ fish and billfishes – which includes tuna, mackerel and swordfish.