The cost of sushi – Emptying the seas
Story
As American real-life tv shows about tuna fishers are rising in popularity, the fishing industry in the Mediterranean Sea has been under exposed. Yet, these South European waters are filled with danger for the Atlantic bluefin tuna; overfishing and illegal fishing activities have had serious consequences for the bluefin tuna population. The increasing demand for tuna has led to a worldwide decline of the species and their numbers are still dropping rapidly. This profound documentary reveals an ongoing tug-of-war between local fishermen, environmentalists, fish farmers and scientists. Is there a way to put a halt to overfishing and to rescue the bluefin tuna from extinction?Ecological Relevance
Since the 1970s the numbers of the Atlantic bluefin tuna have been falling. According to biologists and ecologists, the species is suffering from a historical minimum worldwide. Nontheless, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. This might be a good thing for the fishing industry, but large groups of scientists, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and WWF have expressed their concerns.
Since the 1970s the numbers of the Atlantic bluefin tuna have been falling. According to biologists and ecologists, the species is suffering from a historical minimum worldwide. Nontheless, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that Atlantic bluefin tuna currently do not warrant species protection under the Endangered Species Act. This might be a good thing for the fishing industry, but large groups of scientists, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas and environmental organizations such as Greenpeace and WWF have expressed their concerns.
Scenes
- Danger of industrial fishing, and fish farms
- Industrial fishing is a danger to fish species such as the bluefin tuna. This is the reason why organizations such as WWF and Greenpeace follow the industrial fishing fleets in the Meditteranean sea. Industrial fishing is closely linked to the questionable fish farms.
- History and tradition of fishing in Southern Spain
- This clip shows the difference between fishing in the beginning of the 20th century and fishing nowadays. Large scale industrial fishing is slowly destroying the local fishing communities who are still trying to catch fish the traditional way. The clip contains footage of the ancient tradition.
- Biologist of Fuentes group about
- Biologist and head research of the Fuentes group talks about his research and efforts of spawning tunafish in captivity. The goal is to develop tuna agricultures and being able to sell them.
- Tsukiji fishing market, Tokyo Japan
- The Tsukiji market in Tokyo, Japan is the world’s biggest fish market. We see images of the market and hear talks about the price of tuna.
- Investigating illegally caught tuna
- At the Institut de Ciencies del Mar (ICM), scientists determine the origin of samples of Tuna fish by looking at their DNA. This could be used as proof that illegally caught fish from the Mediterranean is used in Japanese restaurants and sold in shops.
- Difficulty of tuna spawning in captivity
- Tuna spawning in captivity by Fuentes group farms, sponsored by the EU, has led to disappointing results. Here, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography explains why.
