Protecting the Bluefin Tuna

Zoe Beckett
First Officer, Steve Irwin

As we prepare for the start of the bluefin tuna (BFT) campaign, it is becoming increasingly obvious how economic stakeholders are going to fiercely defend their unsustainable fishing practices. I expect aggressive tactics will confront us as they attempt to secure their assists and continue their poaching practices. When will these people realise that globally protecting BFT and allowing their populations to regenerate is the greatest asset to our seas, our world and subsequently us? Protecting the BFT will stabilise the oceans ecosystems from the current drastic imbalance from over fishing of large pelagic predators such as BFT, sharks, and whales. If key species such as the BFT become extinct, inevitably the ocean ecosystem will collapse, and then the ocean will die, and shortly after that so will we.

Some of the world’s governments have shown themselves to be too weak willed, too economically handcuffed, or too ignorant to the blatant plight of the earth’s oceans. It is now up to us to take to the seas and defend the innocent BFT and protect the fragile marine environment in which they belong. We no longer live like people did in the 1700’s when we thought the world’s oceans were of limitless expanse and depth. It is now 2010, we still know comparatively very little about the ocean that support us, but we know they are not limitless, they are fragile, and fisheries over the last 100 years have proven how easy it is decimate fish populations, bringing them to the brink of collapse.

It is important to see this campaign as not only trying to protect the vulnerable BFT species but holistically as trying to protect an entire ecosystem.  Japan consumes 80% of the worlds BFT, and is continuing to forcibly lobby other governments into submission to allow the continued trade in this critically endangered species.  How many more species and populations need to become extinct before there’s a “wake up” call……did we learn nothing from the cod fisheries collapse in the North Atlantic ??

I look forward to doing what we do best……direct action in stopping the illegal BFT poachers!