Adrian Grenier Wants to Stop Bluefin Tuna, Newly Threatened by Gulf Oil Spill, from “Going Fast”
Press Release Date: July 9, 2010
Location: Washington, D.C.
Contact:
Anna Baxter | email: abaxter@oceana.org
Anna Baxter
**Note: High resolution images/footage available upon request**
Washington, DC – Oceana launched a multimedia Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign today titled Going Fast that features Adrian Grenier, star of the hit HBO Series “Entourage,” swimming with bluefin tuna. Grenier partnered with Oceana in conjunction with his work for the GQ Gentlemen’s Fund initiative and Nautica.
Grenier joined experts from Oceana on the shoot in March of 2010. His co-stars are a school of bluefin tuna, our ocean’s fastest predators and a fish widely known as king of sushi. Bluefin grow to 15-feet in length, can weigh 1500 pounds and can swim at speeds of more than 50 miles per hour. In the Western Atlantic, bluefin tuna populations have been reduced by more than 82 percent as a result of overfishing.
“I couldn’t sit back idly while this amazing predator is being pushed to the brink of extinction,” Grenier said. “We are fishing bluefin at alarming rates, and now their spawning grounds are also threatened by the oil spill in the Gulf. We need to take action and keep the bluefin from going fast.”
Adding to the fishing pressure on the species, the latest oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could further jeopardize their recovery by harming their free-floating eggs, sperm, and larvae (babies). The Gulf is the only place where the Western population of Atlantic bluefin tuna reproduces. After the spawning season (April, May, June), baby tuna continue to swim through the Gulf region where they are vulnerable to accumulating toxins in their gills, including toxic oil and dispersants used in the spill area.
“It is a critical time for bluefin tuna and we are glad to have a person as passionate about the environment as Adrian working with us,” said Oceana Chief Scientist Mike Hirshfield. “These fish are like the lions and tigers of the sea and yet their population decline does not get the attention it requires. These powerful PSAs will help bring the plight of this top predator to the surface and help us bring about real policy change to save them.”
The Going Fast creatives include television and radio spots, web banner ads and print based advertisements. The television spots were produced and directed by Klaus Obernmeyer of Aero Films and was scored by Nylon Studios. Tim Calver took still photographs for print and web ads. The first PSAs to appear in print will hit newsstands this summer in issues of O, The Oprah Magazine, Amtrak’s Arrive and 944 magazines.
“I hope that my involvement will bring attention to what is going on in the bluefin fishery,” Grenier added. “I want these PSAs to encourage people to get involved and help Oceana save these amazing creatures.”
For more information on what Oceana does to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna and Adrian Grenier’s involvement, go to: http://www.Oceana.org/goingfast. To request the “Going Fast” PSA or other footage from the actor’s swim with bluefin contact Kevin Connor at kconnor@oceana.org or Juliana Stein at jstein@oceana.org.
