Atlantic bluefin tuna (BFT) have been an important and emblematic part of the Mediterranean culture for centuries. This species already fascinated Greek and Latin philosophers because of its impressive size and its fast speed which allows it to covers large distances during its migrations from feeding grounds in cool waters to the far warmer spawning areas.

Over the last decade the development of the sushi-sashimi market in Japan has meant the bluefin tuna has become a high priced and highly profitable species.

Subsequently, the North Atlantic bluefin tuna is being pushed to the brink of collapse. The species migrates widely, returning only to a few areas to spawn, including to the waters around the Mediterranean Balearic islands. As a highly prized fish easily caught in the Mediterranean, bluefin tuna is subjected to an excessive degree of legal and illegal fishing. This pressure has recently increased due to the rapid growth of commercial tuna fattening activities. Sometimes also called “tuna ranching” or “tuna farming”, this activity involves catching wild tuna and holding them in feeding pens while they are fattened for delivery to different markets, often in Asia.

Read the Oceana Position Paper. Oceana Recommendations for the ICCAT Commission meeting November 2008 (PDF - 47 Kb)