Oxymoron of the Day: Chicken of the Sea

What would you like to know about the Yellowfin Tuna today? The yellowfin, commonly known as "albacore" and "ahi", is probably the most commercially sought-after species of fish in the world.

The yellowfin, like its sibling the bluefin, is a beautiful animal. In fact, the whole "thunnus" genus is. Bullet-shaped, streamlined, extremely muscular and up until recently very resilient, these fish have unwittingly continued to captivate human's insatiable craving for it.

What is the difference between the yellow and bluefin? Well, primarily the coloring of the pectoral fins. Yellowfin tunas have extraordinarily bright coloring on their finlets. These fish are very migratory, and can be found nearly all over the world. They are most comfortable in tropical waters, and so they tend to favor areas below the equator.

Unlike its brother the bluefin, the yellowfin is not considered endangered. In fact, it's considered "least concern", however this is an outdated classification, and the species has most likely moved up a notch or two in terms of endangerment. In fact, the yellowfin accounts for over 45% of the North America's tuna harvest each year. How does that not spell doom?

These brilliant fins need conservation efforts like anything else in the ocean. Just because a population of a certain species is considered abundant doesn't give us the right to destroy it. 

Oftentimes we take for granted the things we kill for our meals. Did you know the yellowfin is an extremely strong schooler? That means it doesn't necessarily school by species, it'll school by size! Blue and yellowfins can be found schooling with other large fish (like the bigeye), and even dolphins. So strong is the urge to "bond" while schooling that the fins have been observed using driftwood and other large pieces of refuse as swimming "companions".

Tunas are incredible fish, the only animal that could rival its engineering is the shark. In fact, a 200 lb yellowfin can easily cruise at 23 mph for a long period of time. When the yellowfin feeds its excitment shows through light vertical bars that appear on its sides.

We have to stop treating the earth and the animals in it like they are here for solely for our eating enjoyment. They are here for our enjoyment period. Catching/killing/eating anything we like out of the ocean is not a basic human right. So when someone says to you "I did a great job at work today, I deserve lobster/tuna steak/salmon/any seafood tonight!", kick them in the shins.

Yum, Yum, Bumblebee What??

Today's homage will be dedicated to source of this administrator's ulcer: the majestic bluefin tuna. No, no...the tuna itself doesn't give the adminstrator an ulcer, but the fact that this species of incredible fish is critically endangered is what's keeping them up at night.  

Never before have these fish had it so rough. Granted they probably don't remember the days in which they never had to worry about sonar detection or fleeing from so many enemies in one area at a time.  No, the bluefin probably doesn't think about that.  In fact, the bluefin tuna probably doesn't get ulcers because it luckily doesn't know what we're doing to its very own habitat.

Rather, the bluefin probably worries about the most basic things like you would; finding food, shelter, a mate, and all various forms of security.  It too gets road rage on its way to work, finds parenting to be tough (especially with 11 or 12 "kids" at a time), and will try not to complain when the same dinner is served over and over again.

The bluefin, not a native of the Pacific Ocean (although some are being farmed off the coast of Japan), grows to average of just over a meter.  Its body is a dense, muscle powerhouse which enables the tuna to swim as fast as it can away from predators (though not always successfully). The tuna itself is a predatory fish.  It lives primarily off of smaller fish like sardines and squids. The flesh of tuna, sadly, is also too highly valued in the arena of human consumption.  We have developed an unhealthy addiction to this lovely animal because its flesh is extremely...(ugh) tasty.  In fact, so prized is the tuna that in the Japan one tuna can fetch over $100,000 in the open market.  There is no shortage of irony with Japanese culture and fish...a country that spends years breeding carp (carp!!) for beauty pageants will unflinchingly kill off a species of fish just for the gratification of a sushi meal that lasts maybe one hour.

So, how bad have humans made it for the tuna?  Bad.  We've essentially guaranteed the extinction of this species by overfishing and sitting on our hands while other countries follow suit.  In approximately four decades we have nearly collapsed the available stock of bluefin.  The problem is aggravated by the fact that the bluefin is also slow to mature, and takes several years to reach spawning level.  This is coupled by the problem that the bluefin's diet is waning dramatically because those stocks also on the verge of collapse.

To see a bluefin in its environment is to understand the beauty and science of life in the ocean.  And to see a giant bluefin, rare as they are, is cause for even more wonderment. For in a setting in which we kill to satisfy a temporary hunger these fish persist.  But not for long, soon the bluefin will join its sibling, the yellowfin, in being referred to in the past tense.  It will have existed, and once swam the oceans.  If you see any of the men pictured in the photo above, kick them in the shins.  That will give the tunas one less reason to get an ulcer.

Ok, Ok!

The administrator of this blog is sorry.

It's been awhile...and lots of ideas have come and gone...and well, there's really no excuse for the laziness. Other than the administrator was lazy.

To make up for it, there will be back to back posts of fish and fish related goodness this week.