Species Collapse, Tuna

"From 1960 to 2000, worldwide tuna production doubled roughly every 10 years and peaked at 4.45 million tons in 2004. But the impact of intensive fishing is starting to be felt.  In 2001, the western and central Pacific Ocean yellowfin tuna fishing industry was worth $1.9 billion.  By 2004, its value had dropped by more than 40% to %1.1 billion. According to Barbara Block of Stanford University in California, US, Atlantic bluefin tuna population have declined by as much as 90% since the 1970s and Mediterranean bluefin by about 50%.  In both cases, the rate of decline accelerated in recent years. “There population is on the brink of collapse, and it has happened on our watch, in my lifetime,” adds Block.