Ocean Sentry
A scientific study released today estimates that the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico killed 20 percent of the juvenile western Atlantic bluefin tuna in the area. Already, overfishing has caused a decline in western Atlantic bluefin tuna of more than 80 percent since 1970. The study, conducted by the European Space Agency and the Ocean Foundation, further supports the Center for Biological Diversity’s petition in May 2010 to protect Atlantic bluefin tuna under the Endangered Species Act.
“This study confirms our worst fears about the oil spill’s impacts on bluefin tuna and provides more evidence that this species needs the Endangered Species Act to survive,” said Catherine Kilduff, an oceans program attorney at the Center. “The federal government could have predicted the effects of the spill during spawning season prior to the disaster; listing Atlantic bluefin tuna as endangered will prevent such an oversight from ever occurring again.”… Source: Center for Biological Diversity, Catherine Kilduff
