Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus thynnus)
Local names: Atlantic bluefin tuna, atum, atun de aleta azul, giant tuna, horse mackerel, maguro, northern bluefin tuna, orkinos, roter Thun, sinievätonnikala, thon rouge, thunfisk, tonijn, tonno, tónnos, tunny
Main commercial products: Fresh, chilled, and frozen fish for sashimi, sushi, and steaks.
Main markets: Japan is the largest market; however, markets for both sushi and steaks are growing in Europe and the US.
Fishing grounds: Throughout its range in the North Atlantic Ocean, with 73% of catches coming from the Mediterranean Sea
European fleets*: France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Greece, Malta, Portugal
* in order of reported landings in 2004, largest to smallest; countries in bold accounted for 92% of total reported European landings and 53% of total reported global landings. Note that reported landings are far below actual catches due to significant IUU fishing and tuna farming (see below)
Fishing methods: Predominantly purse seines (60–80% of the total Mediterranean catch); also longlines, baitboats, and traps
Current populations: Two stocks of Atlantic bluefin tuna are recognized, both of which are overfished. The smaller western stock has declined by nearly 90% since the 1970s and is classified as Critically Endangered.
The larger eastern stock, which spawns in the Mediterranean Sea, is currently classified as Endangered but in fact is in danger of complete commercial and biological extinction.
Fisheries in the North Sea and Black Sea have already disappeared; traditional fishing grounds in the Western Mediterranean are almost entirely exhausted; and current catches rely on the last-remaining spawning groups of tuna in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean, for example in Libyan waters.
In 2004, mortality due to fishing was three times higher than the overfishing threshold for this stock. The mortality on large, mature bluefin almost tripled between 2000 and 2004, pointing to a high risk of population collapse.
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