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Bigeye tuna are under threat because authorities are failing to recognize the dire extent of overfishing. If  protection measures are not put in place, says WWF and TRAFFIC, the tuna stocks are at serious risk of collapse.

Up to 60% of the bigeye tuna catch in the Eastern Pacific are small, juvenile fish, and the proportion of these is rising, says a new report from WWF and TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring network.

“Removal of juvenile fish, before they reach adulthood and breed, compromises the sustainability of tuna stocks and reduces the availability of adults for the high-value sashimi markets in Japan,” says Glenn Sant, TRAFFIC’s Global Marine Programme Leader.