Catching an Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is an adrenaline rush for hundreds of fishermen due to the high speed swimming and swift motions of the tuna in the water. As the Giants of the Sea, an individual bluefin tuna can weigh up to 2,000 pounds and travel at 60 miles per hour or more. A bluefin tuna catch is an adventure and a fishing experience like no other for the enthusiasts out there. There is an entire culture and industry that revolves around tuna fishing.
The thrill of catching one of these giants and the international demand for consuming tuna has resulted in tremendous commercial fishing. In recent years, this demand has led way to over fishing as well. The Atlantic bluefin tuna has come close to being on the list of endangered species and there are strict regulations for their fishing.
Those who wish to fish for bluefin tuna must obtain a permit and the fish cannot be sold. For commercial fishing, a license is required to fish for bluefin tuna. Various parts of the world have regulated limits on the number of catches. All these are measures taken to save the tuna from being extinct, but are they enough?
Conservation measures have been taken such as assigning quotas for fishing. The Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) aims to set regulations such as these on the number of catches. Many people do not agree with these quotas and believe that they are unfairly assigned. There has been a push from environmental groups for the ICCAT to close bluefin tuna fisheries all together in order to protect the spawning areas.
Despite these measures, illegal fishing for bluefin tuna is common and a major contributor to the decline in number of the fish. Tuna fishing is divided into the Western Atlantic and the Eastern Atlantic or Mediterranean regions. Both sides are popular fishing grounds, but the Western Atlantic bluefin tuna seems to be in more danger. If the bluefin tuna goes extinct, the industry that relies on the fishing will also die out.