Environmentalists say bluefin population being decimated

'“You have to wonder what the last fish is going to cost,” Nickson said.'

Brilliant line. The worst part is that some Japanese LITERALLY say that it's the fault of other nations infringing on Japan's 'traditional' tuna that the species is becoming extinct.

Only after the last fish has been caught will the Japanese realize they can't eat money.

The 32,000 yen per kilogram paid for the top fish this year compares with 700,000 yen per kilogram last year.

Surely that is a mistake??? 700,000yen per kg?!?

Sayounara Mother Earth, it was nice to know you.

@yildiray ... Surely that is a mistake??? 700,000yen per kg?!? ...

Not a mistake. The first tuna auction of the year is a kind of publicity stunt to advertise the name of the sushi bar which buys it. For the third year in a row it was Zushi-zan-mae. The reason the price dropped is because the main auction competitor of previous years (Itamae-sushi) decided not to bid high this year. http://digital.asahi.com/articles/DA3S10911015.html

Interesting that this is an article from the Associated Press. As I unfortunately can't read Japanese newspapers, can anyone tell me if similar articles have appeared in the Japanese press? I'm curious to know how this issue is portrayed and covered in the Japanese media. Thanks.

This is a shame. Human greed is causing the species to become extinct.

Don't forget the poisoning of the Pacific Ocean from the daily dumping of radiated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant.

I googled 黒マグロ(bluefin tuna) and came up with a pageful of articles relating to the sale and eating of tuna. Googling 黒マグロ　危機(bluefin in danger) produced one article by NHK more or less like this article but in much more detail, one article by wwf, one yahoo news headline and a pile of blogs. The main theme seems to be one day we may not be able to eat tuna, not we shouldn't be eating tuna now.

“Over 90% of bluefin tuna are caught before they reach reproductive age. You have to wonder if this remotely sustainable.”

Right now, because catch limits are in tonnes most countries are all for catching young fish. Four young tuna weigh the same as one mature fish. Fatten them up in pens offshore, and sell them to the highest bidder.

Yes, Japan buys most of the tuna. But wouldn't it make more sense to go after the countries who are actively overfishing to sell to Japan, rather than pointing the finger at Taro down at the kaitensushi?