Monday, November 15, 2010

Give me a Break Bluefin's Not Scarce


Supply and demand's impact on prices is a pretty basic concept. Why can't many people, especially many Japanese people, get it?

Prices go up when supply goes down. Bluefin tuna is wildly expensive because they have been fished to near extinction. Japanese consume 80% of the Atlantic bluefin. A bite sized piece can go for $30 or more. Yet, people still contend that the fish stocks of bluefin are fine and nothing needs to be done to protect them.

Please pass the soy for my delicacy, I'm so hip, I'm so trendy, I'm so exotic and extravagant, I'm so dominant, screw the oceans. Please don't talk about respecting the sea or cultural identities. Hard to believe the people eating the tuna now care about cultural identity or traditions. They apparently have no interest in passing it on to future generations, which is one defining feature of culture last I checked.

Read about bluefin's high price here. The header is: Tuna: If it's affordable, it's not bluefin

There are other tuna that is sustainable. See previous Eco Ocean post.

Photo credit: Sustainability Ninja

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