Sweeping Report Details the Devastation of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna

Monday, November 8, 2010 - 17:30 in Biology & Nature

Environmental groups and wildlife conservation advocates have argued for years that Atlantic bluefin tuna populations are being devastated, but it was difficult to make a hard case. Why? The very people and authorities that should've been keeping track of fishing quotas and enforcing international regulations simply - and sometimes willfully - did not, leading to ongoing overfishing and keeping black markets stocked with product that is very difficult to trace back to the source. Now a group of investigative journalists have compiled their own detailed and damning report, as well as a companion documentary, tallying the damage done. The report, compiled by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), details the abuses carried out in the harvesting of Atlantic bluefin tuna, a marine delicacy that can grow to more than 1,000 pounds and live for up to 40 years - and fetch up to $100,000 per specimen at auction in Tokyo...

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