Tagging the tigers of the sea

[n2doc]

12 November 2009 by Graham Lawton

PABLO CERMEÑO balances at the back of the small boat, legs braced, harpoon at the ready. Beneath him in the crystal waters his target is clearly visible: a shimmer of metallic turquoise that tacks left, right, left again as it is hauled inexorably towards the surface. The fisherman grunts and sweats as he does battle with the giant fish, reeling, pulling and reeling again.

The fish breaks the surface; it is at least a metre long. Its cold black eye stares at us and its razor mouth gapes, exhausted from the fight. As it thrashes back and forth in the water Cermeño strikes, plunging the harpoon into its back (see image) to deposit an electronic tagging device. Everybody cheers, and Cermeño kneels to cut the line. The fish sinks back into the water, pauses, then dives for freedom. With three strokes of its powerful muscular tail it has barrelled out of sight into the depths of the Mediterranean sea.

I've just come face to face with what is quickly becoming one of the most endangered animals in the world: a Mediterranean bluefin tuna. Twenty years ago, these waters were thick with the mighty ocean-going predators, which can accelerate to up to 80 kilometres per hour in pursuit of prey. Today the population is close to collapse, pushed to the brink by remorseless overfishing. As is so often the case, nobody disputes that the stock is in serious trouble, but nobody seems able to do anything about it.

That is why Cermeño, a fisheries scientist with the environmental group WWF, is tagging tuna. WWF is one of several organisations fighting a rearguard action to stop the high-speed destruction of a fishery that has been harvested for more than 3000 years. They are pressing for immediate action, including a temporary ban on fishing. But first they need scientific data to strengthen their case, and time is running out. "We estimate that the stock will collapse in 2012," says Cermeño.

more:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20427347.300-tagging-the-tigers-of-the-sea.html

[msongs]

1. whenthe fish supply collapses the human supply will follow - eat hearty me lads nt