Sushi threatens Mediterranean Tuna

Unfortunately, this may be true soonI don’t care to linger on bad news, but the terrible truth of these salt water statistics cannot be ignored. I guess as long as the local grocery store has something on the shelves, these issues can be held at arm’s length. At 6% of the historic population remaining, is that arm long enough?

It’s not right that a resource that has sustained thousands of families for 3,000 years should be finished off by a new technology in 10 years.

The Atlantic Bluefin tuna is among the most expensive and prized of sushi flesh, and Japanese consumers pay as much as $75.00 per quarter pound. Historically these fish have weighed as much as 500 lbs each, but the competition and harvest rates have reduced the Mediterranean population by 94%, and cut the average size of the remaining fish in half.

I watched with great interest the lively “damn” debate at the Trout Underground, both sides seemed to be literate and semi-lucid. Economic benefits of each side were noted (not necessarily agreed upon), and each camp retired unsatisfied.

How much longer will we be able to ignore the precipitous decline of the world’s fish stocks, before we are compelled to tear up cities and uproot established citizens so that we can nurse these fish back from the brink?

This isn’t about air conditioning in Seattle, it’s going to be about someone wanting to nuke somebody.

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