Thanks to all who helped us send thousands of comments in by the November 22nd deadline! Please add your name to our list of supporters for this issue by completing the action below.
Decades of industrial overfishing have decimated Atlantic bluefin tuna populations even before the BP oil spill contaminated their Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds. International management efforts have failed to prevent their populations crashing to 80 percent below historic levels. Urgent action is needed to prevent these magnificent fish from extinction.
Warm-blooded Atlantic bluefin tuna grow to almost ten feet and 900 pounds in 20 years and can swim at speeds up to 55 miles per hour. The amazing Atlantic bluefin tuna has an integral role in the ocean ecosystem and has global economic importance. Threats to their Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds range from industrial overfishing with longlines to oil drilling and polluted runoff. Overfishing, bycatch, and pollution jeopardize the Gulf of Mexico spawning grounds, threatening to push the species towards extinction.
Critical Spawning Habitat in the Gulf of Mexico
Protecting Atlantic bluefin tuna under the U.S Endangered Species Act would safeguard critical spawning grounds in the Gulf from the assault of deadly industrial fishing. The Sea Turtle Restoration Project and allies have already called for an outright end to surface longline fishing in the Gulf, whose indiscriminate hooks kill sea turtles and juvenile bluefin before they mature. Click here to learn more about this effort to protect Gulf sea turtles and bluefin tuna.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) meets this month in Paris, and the U.S. can send a strong message to its international allies in the ICCAT by granting Atlantic bluefin tuna ESA protections.
Urgent Action is Needed!
We only have until November 22 to support the recent finding by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) to move forward on ESA listing of Atlantic bluefin tuna. Send the letter below and magnify your impact by adding your own personal reasons for protecting imperiled Atlantic bluefin tuna!
