Earth Protect Blog

Atlantic bluefin tuna are remarkable creatures, growing up to 10 feet in length and more than 1,500 pounds, and capable of swimming across the Atlantic Ocean in just over a month. Harried by overfishing along the way, they enter the Gulf of Mexico to spawn, only to encounter longline fishermen targeting other species with thousands of hooks strung for miles behind fishing vessels.

Already threatened with extinction by the slaughter, the tuna faced a new enemy this spring in its vital Gulf spawning grounds — a lethal mix of oil and dispersants from the largest catastrophic oil release into the environment in U.S. history. Given the decline they have endured over the past 30 years, Atlantic bluefin tuna could become extinct unless urgent measures are taken.

The environmental law firm Earthjustice is urging the public to encourage NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco to act now before it’s too late.

On Nov. 17, the United States has the opportunity to join the international community in protecting Atlantic bluefin tuna at the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas. Commission scientists have already identified the last remaining Atlantic bluefin tuna spawning area in the Mediterranean. Now it’s time to protect these areas by implementing no-take zones.

You can make a difference by urging the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that the remaining spawning grounds in the Mediterranean and the Gulf of Mexico must be set aside as no-take zones based on the most up to date science. The ICCAT must endorse a management strategy to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna from overfishing and prohibit the inadvertent killing by longline fishing methods.

Contact NOAA Administrator Jane Lubchenco here.