Bluefin tuna stocks are improving, at least one place in the ocean

 

Good news for the bluefin tuna in the Atlantic.  And we need all the good ocean fisheries news we can get.

‘It’s a bucket-list fish’: bluefin tuna are back in British seas – and so are the fishing boats

"But since 2014, the enormous migratory fish have returned in their thousands off the coast of south-west England after deep cuts to fishing quotas in the eastern Atlantic* to revive the species. Nobody is really sure why they are back in such great numbers – with populations also recovering in the Mediterranean, where the vast majority are caught – but bluefin tuna is no longer listed as an endangered species in the UK, and is now often spotted hunting close to shore by wildlife photographers. With its return, minds have also turned to how to catch it without causing it to vanish from British waters again."

*See? They work.  

So don't catch too many of them, OK?

"Conservation groups have urged the government to tread lightly. “The success of the [tag-and-release] programme shows us that when advice from scientists, recreational anglers, skippers and conservationists is followed and we treat our seas right, species can stage a remarkable return,” says Dr Kenneth Bodles, the head of fisheries and aquaculture at the Marine Conservation Society. “As we witness this resurgence of bluefin tuna in the UK, it’s crucial that we proceed with utmost care, adopting careful management and continued monitoring that honours the fragile balance of our seas and respects this iconic species.”

Now, if we could that for a lot more of the overfished stocks, we'd be on the right track.