Tuna as Gold

By Pontus Abelt

For centuries Japan has been true to their beloved sashimi and sushi, where fresh fish and rice are carefully combined creating the very essence of their culinary culture. Although the Japanese are aware of the declining tuna stock (and other large sea predators) there seem to be no empathy for the conservation efforts put out by the world’s leading fishing countries to ban the export of the endangered Bluefin tuna according to NY Times. For instance, every year the Japanese government allow their fishing fleet to capture thousands of tons of tuna that are then kept frozen in a federal tuna reserve, much as other countries keep gold (which also have caused civilizations to fall). Thus, unlike gold is tuna a part of a delicate ecosystem, which feeds the majority of the world. This resource is exhaustible and human greed has taken its toll, one unfortunate victim is the Bluefin tuna, this species is endangered and protected yet we allow fishing fleets to continue to drain our ocean's resources. However, we should not take pride in ourselves here in the western hemisphere believing that Japan is the big villain, though 80% of all Bluefin tuna being consumed by the Japanese is caught in the Mediterranean region and then exported to the island, where tuna turns into real gold for the exporting countries.



http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/20/business/energy-environment/20tuna.html?hp=&adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1266923129-b2c9q/Ddpgf86PxPC33yDw

http://www.policyinnovations.org/ideas/commentary/data/000036