Sheenah Mae L.

Acuba

BSA-11 / MTH /

9:30-11:30
1st year / Accountancy

English 1

Among the 8 species of tuna, the Atlantic bluefin tuna is the largest with an
average length of 6.5 ft (2m) and an average weight of 550 lbs (250kg). Its scientific
name is Thunnus thynnus. It is also known as bluefin or blue fin tuna, blue-fin tunny,
horse mackerels, squid hounds, and Northern Bluefin Tuna. It is one of the largest,
fastest, and most commercially valuable fish in the world. A single Atlantic bluefin
tuna can be sold for thousands of dollars. Tuna, which means to rush, are made
for speed. They are the largest member of the Scombridae Family. They are built
like torpedoes. They migrate across oceans and they can dive for more than 4,000
ft. Their average lifespan in the wild is 15 years, but they can live up to 40 years.
Oceans contain the greatest diversity of life on Earth and the Atlantic Bluefin
Tuna is one of those species. The Atlantic bluefin tuna can be found in the Gulf of
Mexico in the western Atlantic wherein a smaller population of the Atlantic bluefin
tuna hatches. A larger population spawns in the Mediterranean Sea in the eastern
Atlantic. However, these 2 populations are not completely separated because adults
and juveniles from both populations feed together. They are carnivores. They feed in
Polar Regions but breed in tropics. Unlike other smaller tuna species that can spawn
several times a year, the Atlantic bluefin tuna can spawn only once a year. Atlantic
bluefin tuna cannot reproduce until it reaches 8-12 years of maturity. Even if the
Female Atlantic bluefin tuna can produce up to 10 million eggs per year, only a
small number of them survive the adulthood.

Among the 3 species of bluefin tuna, the Atlantic bluefin tuna is the most
endangered one. They provide food and livelihoods for humans. They have been
eaten by humans for centuries, but we should remember that they arent just sea
foods. They have important roles in the ecosystem like maintaining the balance in
the ocean environment. They are at the top of the marine food. They are predators
of smaller fish such as whiting, flying fishes, mullet, herring and mackerel, as well as
crustaceans, squids, and even eels. Pirate or illegal fishing is one of the reasons why
these species became endangered. To give the Atlantic bluefin tuna a chance to
survive for a long term, the World Wildlife Fund for nature collects data since 2008
to learn more about the species. The collected data about the migratory behaviors
of the species helped WWF to advise marine fisheries the best ways on how to
protect the species. Another way to avoid the extinction of this species is to inform
people that bluefin tuna have high levels of mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs). It is unsafe to eat more than once a month, especially for women who are
pregnant and planning to be pregnant, as well as children. Whats even worse is
that mercury stays in our body for years, very easily transferred to the fetus in a
womans womb, and that PCBs can cause cancer to animals as well as to humans.

References:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bluefin-tuna
http://wwf.panda.org/what_we_do/endangered_species/tuna/atlantic_bluefin_tuna/
http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=236