According to recent reports, the Atlantic and Mediterranean bluefin tuna stocks could totally collapse in 3 years!  Yes, you read that correctly, 3 years.

Japan consumes 80% of the world’s bluefin tuna and has no intention of curbing its appetite until the species is totally extinct.  It’s basic economics vs. doing the right thing.  Recently a 511 lb bluefin was sold for $175,000.   One fish literally sold for the price of a home in the Midwest!  So no wonder the Japanese fish industry doesn’t want to slow down it’s bubble market until there’s nothing left to fish.

CITES (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is meeting in Doha, Qatar next month to discuss a formal ban on bluefin fishing.  Luckily France, which has the largest bluefin fleet, is probably going to support the ban.

Hopefully the Japanese can get their appetites under control before we loose yet another species.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/02/japan-will-ignore-ban-on-bluefin-tuna-says-the-fish-isnt-that-endangered.php#ch03

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