Atlantic Bluefin TunaThe Atlantic bluefin tuna, Thunnus Thynnus, is a fast, agile giant that once lived efficiently in the world's oceans for millions of years. This marvel of evolution has endured countless hardships related to climate change, predators and changes in prey populations, however, nothing compares to the pressures placed on bluefin tuna by fishing today. It is a species in desperate need of conservation. Atlantic bluefin tuna sail along the coasts of the North Atlantic and migrate to the southern coasts of Brazil. Weighing up to 1,500 pounds, measuring up to 15 feet in length, and swimming up to 50 miles per hour, these fish are built for speed and endurance. (WWW site, cnie.org) They live up to 30 years, reach sexual maturity at around eight years of age and reproduce almost exclusively in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Spawning is a necessity affecting a bluefin tuna community and results in a relatively small number of surviving offspring. Once mature, due to its size, bluefin tuna has relatively few predators. (Kumai,1998) Prior to the 1960s this population was estimated to be as high as a quarter of a million, however with the introduction of international interest in canned tuna, the population suffered severely. Today, more than 90% of the estimated stock has been depleted and fishing pressure continues, spurred by demand from the Japanese market. (Safina, 1998) Fishermen all over the world are attracted to bluefin tuna because of its extremely high value. At first, bluefin tuna was caught primarily for canned food purposes and possessed little intrinsic value within the economic market. Unfortunately this is not the case at the moment due to minimal supply...... middle of paper ......24, n6 (November-December 1994): 18.Kumai, H. Studies on the artificial hatching of tuna red, breeding and reproduction. Nippon Suisan Gakkaishi, v.64, n.4, 1998:601-605.Matsuda, H; Yahara, T; Uozumi, Y. Is tuna in grave danger of extinction? Risk of extinction of a large and overexploited population. Ecological Research, v.12, n.3, 1997:345-356.Safina, Carl. Song for the Blue Ocean: encounters along the world's coasts and under the seas. 1st ed. New York, Henry Holt, 1998, xviii. Sissenwine, Micheal P., Pamela M.; Powers, Joseph E, Scott, Gerald P., A commentary on assessments of western Atlantic bluefin tuna. Transaction of the American Fisheries Society, v.127, no.5, September 1995, 838-855.Smith, Timothy K. The Great Race: A Gigantic Bluefin Tuna Is Battled and Landed; then things get exciting. (Process of catching and exporting bluefin tuna to Japan) Luck. V134, n10 (Nov 25, 1996):146