Reducing Bluefin Tuna Bycatch In The Gulf Of Mexico

Bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Mexico are near collapse due to a yellowfin tuna fishing operations that inadvertently net massive amounts of bluefin during spawning season. Earthjustice is challenging the government’s refusal to make changes that will protect bluefin from extinction in the Gulf.

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Case Overview

Bluefin tuna are a unique and massive species. They can grow to more than ten feet in length and weigh more than 1,500 pounds. Their feats are similarly epic. A bluefin can cross the Atlantic Ocean in just over a month, dive up to 3,000 feet in a matter of minutes, and swim at speeds comparable to some racehorses. The bluefin tuna is a delicacy in certain parts of the world—in Japan, some bluefin tuna can fetch up to $100,000 for a single fish.

Sadly, perhaps because of its exceptionalism, the bluefin has been fished to the brink of extinction in many places. In the Gulf of Mexico, for example, longline fishing operations that target yellowfin—the canned tuna found in grocery stores—also exact a heavy price on local bluefin populations. In the past three decades, bluefin populations in the Gulf have plummeted to their lowest point ever.

In 2005, conservation groups filed a petition with the federal government that requested closure of the Gulf’s yellowfin fishery during bluefin spawning season. The government refused. Earthjustice challenged the agency’s decision, which was made without taking into account critical scientific data on the bluefin population’s health and road to recovery.

One of the ocean's biggest and most powerful fish, bluefin tuna are disappearing because of commercial fishing in the areas where they reproduce.
One of the ocean's biggest and most powerful fish, bluefin tuna are disappearing because of commercial fishing in the areas where they reproduce. (Ugo Montaldo / Shutterstock)

Case Updates

a close up view of an Atlantic bluefin tuna underwater
June 10, 2020 Article

Senseless Removal of Species Protections Threatens Life in the Gulf of Mexico

Sushi is almost as common a choice as any for family dinners, first dates, or even the solo diner. The industry now boasts thousands of restaurants and generates billions in revenue, but our taste for Japan’s hand-rolled sea fare poses a threat you won’t read about on a restaurant menu.

February 6, 2008 Press Release

High Mercury Content in Bluefin Tuna Not Only Reason to Pass on the Sushi

Overfishing and poor oceans management are leading bluefin tuna to the brink of extinction

February 6, 2008 document

Bluefin Tuna Overfishing Memorandum

Bluefin tuna are being severely depleted in the Gulf of Mexico due to weak government regulations