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Rising demand for bluefin tuna in the 1980s led to overfishing and by the 1990s, it is estimated as much as 50,000 to 61,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna per year were caught in the East Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea – so many that conservation experts said the species was at risk of extinction.
In recent years, much has been done to protect bluefin tuna stocks in the East Atlantic and help populations to recover from overfishing. Below is more detail about the steps that have been taken by an international community of fishers, conservation bodies and scientists.
Tuna gains popularity around the world.
Peak of overfishing
NGOs campaign to end overfishing of bluefin tuna
2007, implementation of 15 year recovery plan begins:
ICCAT strengthens measures in recovery plan
Permitted catch decreased further
Bluefin tuna stocks show improvement
Bluefin tuna reclassified as 'near threatened' from 'endangered'
Eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna stock no longer overfished
First bluefin tuna fisheries enter into MSC assessment
Stock management shifts to 'multi-year management'
First bluefin tuna fisheries achieve MSC certification
Visit our tuna hub for recipes and stories
Japanese fishery set to become the first to of its kind to meet MSC Standard
Common tuna questions answered
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