AD 2018 Q1

tuna are the same fish that were
popularly called “horse mackerel”
and were used for cat food and
fertilizer in the 1950s and 1960s.
Because of the price increase,
fishing pressure has increased
exponentially, especially on Atlantic
bluefin tuna in their spawning
grounds in the Mediterranean.
The environmental impact of
this demand has been such that
today the Atlantic bluefin is listed
as endangered on the International
Union for Conservation of Nature
(IUCN) Red List of Threatened
Species. Recent research shows
that Pacific bluefin tuna stocks
are at 2.6 percent of the prefished
biomass levels. These same studies
warn that the existing take rates for
Pacific bluefin are not sustainable.
Bluefin conservation is the subject
of much controversy between
commercial interests and the
scientific community.
In 2016 I was part of a Silverback
Films crew documenting Pacific
bluefin tuna off the Southern
California coast. We spent 20 days
looking for tuna using spotter
planes, the best intelligence available
from the sport fishing industry
and — perhaps the most important
factor — signs the ocean provided
us. These signs included subtle
surface ripples made by traveling
fish, indicator birds and fish feeding
on the surface. On a good day, a
seemingly endless glassy surface
would suddenly explode with
feeding tuna, at which point we
would race to the action with the
world’s most cutting-edge filming
technology, capturing the activity
from the surface to the depths.
The only time divers can
closely observe tuna in the wild is
when they are feeding, although
“exploding” may be a more
descriptive term. The foaming
water, scales, blood and mayhem
produced by feeding tuna is truly
one of nature’s great events.
Sometimes, if the wind is just
right, you might even smell the
frenzy before you see it. Joining
this activity is not without some
risk. Filmmaker David Reichert
was filming a baitball with large
yellowfin tuna crashing on it,
when two beach-ball-sized
portions of the bait broke off
and hid on him and his gear.
Soon 100-pound yellowfin were
pounding the bait right off his
body. No matter how hard he
tried, Reichert could not shake the
baitfish. After taking some pretty
nasty glancing blows, he finally
was able to escape. Obviously, a
direct shot from a 100-pound fishmissile
going 30 knots is not good.
So where does one go to find
tuna? Any offshore high spot or
open-sea pelagic excursion carries
the possibility, and sometimes
large tuna will come to bait. I have
taken some wonderful images of
yellowfin tuna from inside a cage
at Guadalupe Island, Mexico,
while photographing white sharks.
I have also seen some great images
from South Africa during baiting
operations for yellowfin and
albacore. Huge Atlantic bluefin
are mainly seen in waters off Cape
Cod, Maine, Nova Scotia, Scotland
and in the Mediterranean. A few
pen operations in Australia and
Baja California are also starting to
incorporate ecotours that allow
snorkelers into the pens for a
close look at Pacific and southern
bluefin tuna.
As with sharks, billfish and the
world’s other great pelagic fishes,
it will be interesting to see how
we manage tuna populations in
coming years. These beautiful,
specialized fish help maintain
the ecological balance in tropical
and temperate seas of the world.
We need them for food, but we
also need healthy populations in
the wild for the benefit of future
generations. AD
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