Why the Tuna You’re Eating Might Be Closer to Extinct Than You Think
The bluefin tuna is not a fish.
It is a bullet of muscle wrapped in silver armor.
A warm-blooded titan that can cross oceans, dive 3,000 feet deep, and chase prey with the fury of a predator that remembers what the sea used to be.
And it is vanishing.
One plate of sushi at a time.
A Predator Designed by God and Evolution
Bluefin tuna are marvels of nature.
They can swim over 50 miles per hour
They can regulate their own body temperature, making them apex hunters
They travel thousands of miles to breed, across Atlantic or Pacific corridors
They grow to the size of a grizzly bear…up to 1,500 pounds
Their meat is prized for its richness. It’s the fatty belly, otoro, that fetches thousands in Tokyo fish markets. The flesh is ruby-red, almost indistinguishable from raw beef.
They are power. Speed. Mystery.
And we are eating them into oblivion.
Related Read: The Emotional Lives of Fish
Because even the ones with fins carry fear, memory, and something we still don’t fully understand.
How Sushi Culture Accelerated the Fall
In the early 1970s, sushi was rare outside of Japan. But by the 1990s, it had gone global.
Bluefin…once a discard fish used for cat food…became the crown jewel of sushi bars. Scarcity only increased its allure. In Japan, the first tuna of the year is auctioned as a spectacle.
One bluefin sold for $3.1 million in 2019.
Restaurants from New York to London began serving it as luxury. Status on a plate. Demand soared. Fishing fleets expanded.
And the tuna didn’t stand a chance.
The Numbers No One Wants to Hear
Atlantic bluefin populations have declined by over 80% since the 1970s
Pacific bluefin have dropped by 97% from historic highs
Only 2.6% of the original spawning stock remains in some regions
Illegal fishing accounts for 20–30% of the global catch
The ocean is emptying. And we are watching.
The Black Market of the Sea
Bluefin tuna is a billion-dollar business.
And with high price tags come dark incentives.
Ships “launder” illegal catch by mixing it with legal quotas
IUU fishing (Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated) plagues bluefin trade
Black-market fish are often shipped with fake documentation
One investigation found €25 million in illegal tuna circulating through Europe in a single year
This is not just overfishing. It is organized theft. Of ecosystems. Of futures.
Related Read: Why So Many People Are Moving to Portugal
Because even in new places, we bring our old appetites, and they leave marks behind.
Why Farming Won’t Save Them
You may have heard of “sustainable” bluefin.
But most tuna farms are not farms…they’re feedlots.
Wild juvenile tuna are captured, penned, and fattened. These pens:
Deplete wild stocks
Require up to 20 pounds of wild fish to feed a single pound of tuna
Leak waste into surrounding waters
Offer no real reproduction cycle
Farming bluefin is like putting tigers in zoos and calling it conservation.
The Science of Collapse
When an apex predator vanishes, the effects cascade.
Prey species (like squid or smaller fish) overpopulate, disrupting balance
Coral reef and open-water ecosystems begin to shift
Smaller, faster-growing species move in
The ocean becomes a different place
Bluefin are not just food. They are engineers of the sea. Remove them, and the whole architecture tilts.
Related Read: Sharks Are Older Than Trees: So Why Are We Wiping Them Out?
A shark extinction warning: what happens when we kill off the sharks?
A Cultural Blind Spot
Why do we mourn pandas and elephants but ignore the extinction of bluefin?
Because tuna are food. And food is easy to forget.
You don’t look it in the eye. You don’t name it. It comes with wasabi, sliced paper-thin.
There is a violence in that disconnection.
And yet, most people who eat bluefin have no idea they’re consuming an endangered species.
Related Read: The Science of Nostalgia
We remember flavors more than facts, and that shapes what we save.
What the Future Holds (If We Let It)
Some glimmers of hope:
Bluefin breeding has been achieved in captivity in Japan
The U.S. has implemented strict quotas and observer programs
Some sushi chefs are switching to amberjack or farmed albacore
NGOs like Pew and Sea Shepherd are applying legal pressure
But progress is fragile. And every bite matters.
We cannot outsource this responsibility.
How to Help Without Giving Up Sushi
1. Learn Which Tuna Is Which
Not all tuna are bluefin. Skipjack and albacore are more sustainable. Use the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app to check before you order.
2. Avoid “Toro” Unless Verified
If the menu says “bluefin” or “otoro,” skip it unless it’s certified farmed (and even then, be wary).
3. Support Sushi Chefs Who Care
Many are now experimenting with vegetable-based nigiri, lionfish, and sustainable local catch.
4. Talk About It
The more people know, the more the demand curve bends.
What We Choose to Forget
The bluefin didn’t vanish in one bite.
It vanished in a million quiet dinners.
In chef specials. In airline lounges. In places where we never looked too closely.
But it’s not too late.
If we listen to the sea. If we remember that awe is not an unlimited resource. If we see the fish not as filet, but as the flash of silver beneath the surface.
Then maybe they can come back.
Because the ocean forgives more than we deserve.
But only if we stop asking it to forgive so much.
Next Read: Why The Ocean Tastes Different Now, a chilling tale of the change we are in the midst of.
