“’A giant bluefin tuna, among the largest and most magnificent of animals, hung suspended for a long, riveting moment, emblazoned and backlit like a saber-finned warrior from another world, until its six hundred pounds of muscle crashed into the ocean like a boulder falling from the sky.’ – Carl Safina, Song for the Blue Ocean.

I have been in love with the ocean and its creatures since I was a little girl, but it was not until I read this paragraph in the second year of my undergrad that I first learned about Atlantic bluefin tuna. These remarkable fish quickly became my favourite. They are warm-blooded, can grow to more than two metres in length, and can accelerate as fast as a sports car. However, since their red flesh is among the most expensive and coveted delicacies in the global sashimi market, commercial fishing has significantly reduced populations of all three bluefin species since the 1970s. Now, they are now also among of the most endangered fish in the sea.

I know most people will not fall in love with bluefin tuna in the same way I have, but the good news is that everyone still has the ability to make educated and responsible decisions about the seafood they eat. Sure, it takes a little effort, but if it means keeping bluefin—keeping any fish—in the ocean for generations to come, then I think it’s a pretty worthwhile effort to make.“

Laurenne Schiller, Research Analyst at Ocean Wise.