Tuna: A Prized Catch That is Being Overharvested

 Fishing in Australia is a well-loved pastime and sports. The laidback hobby fishing we usually think of has now evolved into a complex, highly skillful preoccupation, offering thrills and excitement to beginners and avid anglers alike. Fishing charters are reeking in the profits as nature generously offers its resources. Yellowfin tuna and Albacore have delight many a fishermen who continuously seek the particular joy and fulfilment that fishing brings. 

 
The vast area of the south has been the arena of the most fantastic tuna fishing for years providing fishing charters a good living. Tunas have been caught weighing in at 50 kg. and Albacore at 10 kg. With such sizeable catch, it is a good practice of responsible fishing charters to limit one fish per angler to be eaten as a meal. All the others should be released back. It makes sense because a 50 kg. tuna is more than enough for a fish barbecue party.
 
Moreover, the number of fish has been diminishing due to overfishing by Australian long liners as well as the international fishing vessels who are harvesting 200 miles from the shore. These fishing boats can assemble up to 4000 hooks and capturing everything in its way. The broad species of tuna is being harvested at a rate that will soon threaten their numbers. Sharks, marlins and the broadbill swordfish are also being indiscriminately killed by the fatal hooks and line of these big fishing vessels. As can be traced back in history, fishermen have been overfishing for centuries and when the resources are close to extinction, they lose their livelihood in the process. Clearly, there is a need for a sustainable fishing industry not only to provide income to the fisherman, but more importantly, as a way to protect the wealth of the sea. To pursue this, multi-million dollar investments are needed to be spent on our fisheries and ocean research, which should be a global concern with the immediate goal to make our fish stock able to sustain our needs.
 
History recalls that it was the Howard liberal administration that pursued the buy out of long liners and commercial offshore fishermen at a whopping 220 million dollar deal. This has brought down the number top 20 from a sizeable 120 with the others still open to the buy out offer. This crucial step will help lessen the pressure on our pelagic stocks. Pretty soon over the next decades, we can witness the regeneration of the tuna.
 
The responsible fishing charter operators should be equally aware of all the endeavours to protect the sea and its resources. They must maintain their ethical practice of “not catching more than can be consumed.” Every time a fish is released, it sends out the message that the sea should be respected including all of its inhabitants. This is the contribution of recreational anglers in the fight to protect our marine life. 
 
Fishing charters are valuable in keeping watchful vigilance of the sea. They can help in data gathering of the movements of the fish as well as their numbers. Fishing charters can adeptly interpret the oceanic currents and locate the fish that the anglers wish to bag. For tuna to thrive in the sea, they should be safeguarded by responsible and sustainable fishing practice.
 

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