Photograph: Brian J. Skerry/Getty Images/National Geographic

With its heart ten times larger than other fish species, streamlined bodies and powerful tails, the pacific bluefin ( Thunnus Orientalist ) are build to swim at incredibly high speed and is capable of navigating dark ocean through with their excellent eyesight and sensory system. These extraordinary feats are however quite unheard of. Rather, its popularity comes from its fatty meat typically used in satisfying ones’ insatiable diet for Japanese sushi.

More than 80% of bluefin imports were used to support the production of traditional Japanese conventional delicacies, with a single tuna worthy of 1.75million. Driven by such lucrative market, most tuna stocks have been overfished and overexploited. Technological advancement has allowed for the replacement of traditional fishing methods with more efficient ones such as purse seining ( capturing using huge nets) that facilitate bigger catch.Just recently, an alarming decline of 97.4% of bluefin tuna was reported reflecting how rapidly it is progressing towards extinction.

The bluefins help to maintain the balance of the marine ecosystem by ensuring that fishes at the bottom of the food chains are kept within an acceptable population size. As such, the decline in bluefins will lead to an over-abundance of small fishes that the former feeds on that consequently threaten coral health. Unless more stringent conservation efforts are implemented, it is very likely that we will lose this highly cherished species.

While Japan remains one of the biggest consumers of bluefin, its exports to other countries such as Thailand and Singapore have risen in the past few years. With its diminishing population, it is disconcerting that new Japanese restaurant such as Kuro Maguro were set up with an aim for business expansion while consumer remain oblivious to whether they have been and are consuming food that comes from an unsustainable food source.