The Death Of A Giant...

The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, otherwise known as Thunnus Thynnus, Northern Bluefin Tuna or Giant Bluefin Tuna is in danger of extermination due to the BP Oil Spill. Atlantic Bluefin Tuna are known to spawn in only two breeding grounds, one in the Western Mediterranean and the other is in the Gulf of Mexico. The Atlantic Bluefin specie is known to venture to different areas to feed but they are known to return to both their respective breeding grounds to spawn. In the past the Atlantic Bluefin Tuna have been threatened by commercial fishing, which are controlled to a certain extent by the local Fishing and Wildlife Authorities but now they are threatened by an enemy that they have no protection from…the BP Oil Spill and their Dispersants, both of which pose their own set of dangers to this prized and valuable fish and their delicate spawning cycles.
This type of tuna is said to be the most tasty of the species when compared to the Pacific Tuna, The Southern Tuna, The Bigeye Tuna, The Longtail Tuna and the Yellowfin Tuna. The Atlantic Bluefin Tuna is the most highly prized in Japan for Sushi, where it is a delicacy and one large Tuna in Jan 2009 was recorded as being sold for a record $173,000. A selling price of $100,000 is not uncommon, and represents a large and lucrative market for the Tuna caught in The Gulf of Mexico.
Each female Tuna is thought to produce up to 30 million eggs and these egg spawns are facing untold dangers from the dispersants being used in the spill. The eggs contain Fish Oil, and the Dispersants are known to affect the oil and cause the egg spawn to be lost.
There are only two large breeding grounds and when they are killed off in the Gulf of Mexico, there will remain only the one in the Mediterranean and we will lose many forms of jobs and various streams of income related to this Majestic Animal, which are known to reach a weight of well over 1000 pounds. After BP has cleaned up the Gulf, it is expected that we will not have an Atlantic Bluefin population anymore…