Three fish species face extinction due to overfishing, according to an international conservation group
Three fish species face extinction due to overfishing, according to an international conservation group
Bluefin tuna swim in a holding pen in Australia.
A conservation group has named three fish species that it says are at risk of extinction. The fish are threatened because of overfishing to meet the world’s growing demand for food. In a new report released today, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) added Pacific bluefin tuna to its list of more than 22,000 species threatened with extinction. The tuna was joined by the American eel and Chinese pufferfish.
For 50 years, the IUCN has maintained a “Red List” of species evaluated for their threatened status. With today’s change, the IUCN moved the Pacific bluefin tuna from the “least concern” category to “vulnerable,” meaning it is now threatened with extinction. In an IUCN news release, Director General Julia Marton-Lefèvre said, “Each update of the IUCN Red List makes us realize that our planet is constantly losing its incredible diversity of life, largely due to our destructive actions to satisfy our growing appetite for resources.”
Marton-Lefèvre called for policy makers to increase the number of protected areas and to see that they are well-managed. “Experts warn that threatened species poorly represented in protected areas are declining twice as fast as those which are well represented,” she said.
Fishing for Food
The bluefin tuna is considered a delicacy—or a special food—in many parts of the world. It is used in traditional Japanese dishes such as sushi and sashimi. A dwindling population of bluefin tuna could cause the fish to vanish from the Pacific Ocean for good, IUCN experts warn. To prevent extinction, they say limits must be placed on commercial fisheries that target the highly sought-after fish.
Bruce Collette is the IUCN’s tuna and billfish specialist. “The Pacific bluefin tuna market value continues to rise,” Collette said, adding that we need to reduce the number of catches of young fish to improve the species’ status. The group estimates that the population has diminished by 19% to 33% over the past 22 years.
The Chinese pufferfish is now listed as “critically endangered.” Also popular in Japanese food dishes, conservationists estimate the Chinese pufferfish’s global population has declined by 99% over the past 40 years. The fish is found in several marine-protected areas in the Pacific Ocean near China with measures in place to protect it. More needs to be done to prevent extinction, IUCN experts say.
The American eel has joined the Japanese eel on the endangered list due to factors such as pollution and habitat loss, in addition to overfishing. The American eel is in demand in East Asian food markets as an alternative to the endangered Japanese eel.
The IUCN also updated the status of some non-fish species including the Chinese Cobra, which is now listed as “vulnerable,” and Australia’s Black Grass-dart Butterfly as “endangered.”