NOAA announced Friday, May 27 that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. NOAA says it has committed to revisit the decision by early 2013. NOAA reviewed the bluefin tuna situation after it received a petition in May 2010 from the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD) to list Atlantic bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). NOAA does indicate that Atlantic bluefin tuna populations are low and that international overfishing is occuring on its Fishwatch page for Atlantic bluefin tuna.
Numbers of bluefin tuna have been dramatically declining. The population of bluefin tuna today is only 1/3 of what is was in 1970. It is good the fish are not yet endangered, but the idea that they could potentially become endangered is very disturbing. The impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill is also still not clear. Take a look:
Photo: NOAA
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