BajaNomad

Great News for Bluefin Tuna Fans - Possible International Ban

BajaBad - 1-28-2010 at 08:29 AM

This is brilliant news - sell/trade of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is being consider for an international ban due to its endangered status. Would close the fisheries, and then no need to pursue sustainable farming methods to save stock.

Good background article here: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=bluefin-tun...

"If adopted, the proposal would be the first time a major commercial fishery was targeted by CITES for restriction and would arguably be one of the most visible and far-reaching interventions by the convention ever. CITES is most famous for its protections of African elephants and Asian tigers, and proposed protections for marine animals have only recently come up."

Awesome news - kudos to whoever conceived of this and got it on the table for consideration.

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 08:36 AM

"a single healthy-sized adult today can easily fetch more than $100,000 in Tokyo's largest fish market."

Numbers like this could spawn the new cartels.

Am I correct in assuming this has nothing to do with the Tuna caught off the Pacific Coast?

wessongroup - 1-28-2010 at 08:43 AM

Why of course, no one fishes in the Pacific Ocean anymore.. these fish are safe :o:o

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 09:13 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by wessongroup
Why of course, no one fishes in the Pacific Ocean anymore.. these fish are safe :o:o


The reason I asked is, the article refers to Atlantic Tuna, the Atlantic Ocean, Medditeranian and Gulf Of Mexico. Nothing mentioned about the Pacific.

wessongroup - 1-28-2010 at 09:14 AM

Must agree, all resources must be manged properly if we want them around .... well, maybe they will find them on the next extrasolar planet... now there is a thought.. Hey Fishbuck you ready to go to Alpha Centuri for Yellow Tail :lol::lol:

wessongroup - 1-28-2010 at 09:16 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by wessongroup
Why of course, no one fishes in the Pacific Ocean anymore.. these fish are safe :o:o


The reason I asked is, the article refers to Atlantic Tuna, the Atlantic Ocean, Medditeranian and Gulf Of Mexico. Nothing mentioned about the Pacific.


Just a silly attempt at humor.. and your correct they did not mention the Pacific:):)

BajaBad - 1-28-2010 at 09:16 AM

Includes fish from Baja waters...

Geographic range: In the West Atlantic, bluefin are found from the Gulf of Mexico to Newfoundland; in the East Atlantic, they are found from roughly the Canary Islands to south of Iceland, and throughout the Mediterranean Sea. Source: http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/fishwatch/species/atl_bluefin_tuna....

Northern & Southern bluefin tuna species - both are also found in the Pacific as well as the Atlantic and Mediterranean - northwest area for the northern species and southern pacific for southern species.

One would think once a ban is successfully implemented for Atlantic Bluefin Tuna the other endangered species will follow or be included in the final phase of implementation.

Hope that helps clarify...

wessongroup - 1-28-2010 at 09:20 AM

Thanks, thought that was the case... and it makes a lot of sense:):)

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 09:30 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBad
Hope that helps clarify...


Sure does...thanks.
I've seen first hand what pressure on the fishing industry will accomplish. I was here when the "Dolphin Safe" fishing methods were imposed on the Mexican Tuna fleet. It shut them down in Ensenada not that it stopped the unsafe practices. I think they just moved to American Samoa. They weren't going to have the American environmentalists telling them what to do.
Ensenada wishes they were back here now.

BajaBad - 1-28-2010 at 09:59 AM

And the good point that Pacific aren´t mentioned wasn´t trying to ignore... in much of the articles online they simply say "Bluefin Tuna" so maybe there is just some need for clarification... or the Atlantic & Pacific conservationists are rivals and one wants all the glory... etc. etc.

Think the focus all-around (and this is obviously a very high-end international collaborative effort...) is on bluefin tuna as a whole, with Atlantic being the first targeted for a ban for whatever reason.

Dennis - have you seen this about Northern Bajas fish farms falling profits due to increase cost of production (gas & sardines) http://www.mexbiznews.com/economic-crisis-cuts-baja-californ...

More good news :)

No more time at the moment, just passing info on. Cheers.

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 10:50 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by BajaBad
Dennis - have you seen this about Northern Bajas fish farms falling profits due to increase cost of production (gas & sardines) http://www.mexbiznews.com/economic-crisis-cuts-baja-californ...



I can see the situation from my front deck. Eight or ten pens have sat in the water unused for a couple of years. There are others in the area still operating but, it's slow.

bajabass - 1-28-2010 at 10:51 AM

Great, get rid of the tuna pens up and down Baja. Stop raping the coast of bait! The entire fishery in northern Baja will benifit.

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 10:54 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabass
Great, get rid of the tuna pens up and down Baja. Stop raping the coast of bait! The entire fishery in northern Baja will benifit.


“Tuna farming is a very important activity for Baja California. It holds great potential,” said the state’s governor, Jose Guadalupe Osuna Millan.

“We’re exploring ways that we can take greater advantage of it and make this region more competitive,” he said.


Doesn't look good. It's scary when poor economy is your strongest ally.

bajabass - 1-28-2010 at 11:19 AM

The fish are going to Asia. The Japanese own the pens. The profits are going to Japan. How is this helping Baja? Does anyone know of Mexican owned tuna fattening operations?

DENNIS - 1-28-2010 at 11:46 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by bajabass
The fish are going to Asia. The Japanese own the pens. The profits are going to Japan. How is this helping Baja? Does anyone know of Mexican owned tuna fattening operations?


I imagine they're paying a lot to do this in Mexican coastal waters, above the table and under it.