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The Southern Bluefin tuna is a highly prized fish found all around the oceans of the southern hemisphere. Their breeding takes place from September to April in the warm waters off the south of Java, Indonesia. Juveniles migrate south down the west coast of Australia and then tend to congregate in coastal waters off South Australia. Fully grown fish are spread out along the southern hemisphere and are rarely seen near coasts.
Demand for Southern Bluefin tuna is extremely high in the Asian market, especially in Japan where the fish is viewed as a delicacy and customers will pay the highest prices for the fish. The total value of the industry every year is about $1 billion AUSD. Australian and New Zealand fishers mainly use the purse seine method to catch the juvenile fish south of Australia and then fatten them in pens for several months before being taken to Asia. This method is very selective and has a low bycatch rate. However in all other countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and China, the tuna is caught using longlines which produce a large amount of bycatch, especially seabirds, including a number of endangered albatross species.
The Southern Bluefin tuna is listed as critically endangered and although the fishery is tightly controlled, the fish is still caught in huge numbers every year and is overfished. The main reason why the fish is so endangered is because of its reproductive cycle. Unlike other tuna, the Southern Bluefin lives for around 20-40+ years and reaches sexual maturity after around 10 years. Most fish are caught and sold at around age 4 or 5 because juveniles are easier to catch as they are closer to shore, and so fish are being caught long before they have the opportunity to reproduce. This is extremely unsustainable as it means fish are being taken from the stock faster than the stock can replenish itself. This has driven prices of the fish up dramatically over the past decades. Even still customers and markets will pay sometimes thousands of dollars on one fish and so the fishery has become a very lucrative market.
Demand for Southern Bluefin tuna is extremely high in the Asian market, especially in Japan where the fish is viewed as a delicacy and customers will pay the highest prices for the fish. The total value of the industry every year is about $1 billion AUSD. Australian and New Zealand fishers mainly use the purse seine method to catch the juvenile fish south of Australia and then fatten them in pens for several months before being taken to Asia. This method is very selective and has a low bycatch rate. However in all other countries like Indonesia, Philippines, Japan and China, the tuna is caught using longlines which produce a large amount of bycatch, especially seabirds, including a number of endangered albatross species.
The Southern Bluefin tuna is listed as critically endangered and although the fishery is tightly controlled, the fish is still caught in huge numbers every year and is overfished. The main reason why the fish is so endangered is because of its reproductive cycle. Unlike other tuna, the Southern Bluefin lives for around 20-40+ years and reaches sexual maturity after around 10 years. Most fish are caught and sold at around age 4 or 5 because juveniles are easier to catch as they are closer to shore, and so fish are being caught long before they have the opportunity to reproduce. This is extremely unsustainable as it means fish are being taken from the stock faster than the stock can replenish itself. This has driven prices of the fish up dramatically over the past decades. Even still customers and markets will pay sometimes thousands of dollars on one fish and so the fishery has become a very lucrative market.
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This Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry graph shows the annual catch from 1952 to 2007. The Southern Bluefin Tuna was almost fished to extinction through the late 50s and into the 80s. Since the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna in the 90s, strict quotas has greatly reduced the annual global catch. However, because of the species’ long life cycle, their has been at least only three generations for the stock to recover from the huge overfishing in the 60s and because of sustained pressure on the stocks even now, the Southern Bluefin tuna population has not had the opportunity to recover. This only highlights the need for increased sustainability in all fisheries, not just the Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery.
In 1994, Australia, New Zealand and Japan founded the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna in response to the rapid decline in Southern Bluefin tuna numbers. The Commission was designed to ensure through proper management, the conservation and optimum utilization of the global Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery. Since then, several other countries joined the commission and strict quotas have been introduced. For example, the quotas were reduced for 2010/2011 to 80% of the previous year’s catch.
In 1994, Australia, New Zealand and Japan founded the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna in response to the rapid decline in Southern Bluefin tuna numbers. The Commission was designed to ensure through proper management, the conservation and optimum utilization of the global Southern Bluefin Tuna fishery. Since then, several other countries joined the commission and strict quotas have been introduced. For example, the quotas were reduced for 2010/2011 to 80% of the previous year’s catch.
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Japan’s quota was heavily reduced by the Commission because it was found that Japanese fisheries were fishing outside the Commission’s regulations and quotas. This is an increasing risk as the quotas are being slowly reduced. Strict quotas have increased the price and demand for Southern Bluefin Tuna in Asia and so any illegal fishing of the species is extremely profitable.
Australia has further voluntarily reduced its quota to 4 015 tonnes. Australia is a leader in the sustainable fishing of Southern Bluefin tuna, with reduced bycatch, however as the largest fisher of the species it is putting the most pressure on the stock out of all the countries. Southern Bluefin tuna fishing is in reality, not sustainable and needs quotas to be further reduced to allow for the stocks to recover. Many environmental groups like Greenpeace are calling for the immediate end to the fishery until stocks have recovered completely. This option would give the species around one generation to recover completely, however economically it is not viable to completely remove the whole fishery for over a decade or two. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to achieve the sustainable balance between making money and preserving fish stocks, and with a growing economy and population it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so.
Australia has further voluntarily reduced its quota to 4 015 tonnes. Australia is a leader in the sustainable fishing of Southern Bluefin tuna, with reduced bycatch, however as the largest fisher of the species it is putting the most pressure on the stock out of all the countries. Southern Bluefin tuna fishing is in reality, not sustainable and needs quotas to be further reduced to allow for the stocks to recover. Many environmental groups like Greenpeace are calling for the immediate end to the fishery until stocks have recovered completely. This option would give the species around one generation to recover completely, however economically it is not viable to completely remove the whole fishery for over a decade or two. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to achieve the sustainable balance between making money and preserving fish stocks, and with a growing economy and population it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so.