The BP oil drilling disaster in the Gulf of Mexico sent hundreds of millions of gallons of crude oil into the Gulf just as the spawning season for Western Atlantic bluefin tuna reached its peak. The Western Atlantic bluefin tuna is a critically endangered species due to decades of overexploitation. Just last month a bluefin tuna sold for a record $396,000 (or about $526/lb) at the the Tsukiji Fish Market in Japan.Marine researchers are concerned:”Any larvae that came into contact with the oil doesn’t have a chance,” says John Lamkin, with NOAA.But while it’s clear that the bluefin will be affected, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) isn’t doing enough to protect the fish in their spawning grounds. Please visitthis page to urge them to do more.Surface longlines catch and kill a vast amount of ocean wildlife including spawning bluefin tuna, as well as threatened and endangered sea turtles, marine fish such as white and blue marlin, and many species of seabirds.A year-round prohibition on surface longlines is the only way to provide effective long-term protection from this indiscriminate fishing gear. The use of more selective alternatives to longlinges will allow fishermen to continue harvesting swordfish and yellowfin without further damaging bluefin populations.http://grn.convio.net/site/Advocacy?pagename=homepage&id=189Please take a moment to send your message to the National Marine Fisheries Service andask them to do more to protect bluefin tuna, sea turtles, and other species threatened by BP’s crude and longlines in the Gulf.Aaron Viles is GRN’s Deputy Director. You can follow him on twitter here.
