End of the Line

The idiom “there are plenty of fish in the sea” is not literally true. In fact, the documentary, The End of the Line, has estimated that by approximately 2050, there will be no fish in the sea. Overfishing is a serious issue that involves taking wildlife at increasingly higher rates than the species can replace. Because this issue is hidden under waters, people do not realize the seriousness nor do they realize the consequences. This film highlights some of the well-known species, such as bluefin tuna and cod, which are likely to reach extinction if overfishing continues.

The overfishing of bluefin tuna is caused by the increase in demand of sushi. The bluefin tuna should actually be a top of the food chain fish because of its naturally few predators, and should therefore be a very successful species. Unfortunately, bluefin tuna has nearly been hunted to extinction due to its highly valued fatty flesh. Japan actually makes a grand showing of an exorbitantly priced single bluefin tuna. There are always headlines about 1 million dollar bluefin tuna.

It seems that the industry and demand for bluefin tuna has spiraled out of control. I think this is less about consumer demand and more about a publicity stunt. The market value of bluefin tuna includes the rarity, as well as the value added to it by celebrity chef advertisement. This is most obvious because back in the 1960s, bluefin tuna had zero demand. Nobody wanted to eat it. It was sold for merely pennies per pound, mostly ground up and used in cat food. Just a decade later, the Japanese had developed a taste for bluefin tuna and the demand for bluefin tuna soared. Bluefin tuna caught in any waters was always exported to Japan before being placed on any sushi plate.

I suppose the rising demand for bluefin tuna after the 1960s was a good thing. Being the biggest of the tuna and having few predators may have made the bluefin tuna overpopulated. However, I think that the speed at which it is being hunted is