Bluefin Tuna On Edge Of Collapse, Scientists Say

Many of the world's fish are heading toward commercial extinction. The next one to go could be the majestic Atlantic bluefin tuna.

This week, an international committee meant to protect the species approved fishing levels that far exceed what scientists say is sustainable.

Conservationists fear that in just a few years, the remaining stocks of bluefin tuna in the Western Atlantic and Mediterranean could collapse completely.

Carl Gustaf Lundin, of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature in Switzerland, says that over the past few decades, tuna stocks have declined by well over 90 percent. The latest decision, he says, pushes the tuna much closer to commercial extinction.

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