Marine Species under Threat: Bluefin tuna

Bluefin tuna are the most valuable fish in the world, coveted for their fatty belly meat, used in sushi as toro or maguro.

Bluefin are the largest tuna and can live up to 40 years. They migrate across oceans and can dive more than 4,000 feet. This threatened marine species are made for speed: built like torpedoes, have retractable fins and their eyes are set flush to their body. They are some of the sea’s fastest fishes, reaching top speeds of some 43 miles (70 kilometers) an hour. But they’ve been unable to outrun fishing fleets, which have pushed some populations, like the Atlantic bluefin, toward the edge of extinction. Scientists warn that over harvesting continues unabated despite feeble international efforts at regulating the catch.

The Bluefin tuna are tremendous predators from the moment they hatch, seeking out schools of fish like herring, mackerel and even eels. They hunt by sight and have the sharpest vision of any bony fish. There are three species of bluefin: Atlantic (the largest and most endangered), Pacific, and Southern. Most catches of the Atlantic bluefin tuna are taken from the Mediterranean Sea, which is the most important bluefin tuna fishery in the world.