Mediterranean bluefin tuna: working together to promote biodiversity

Since 2009, the Principality of Monaco and the Prince Albert II Foundation have been mobilising private and public stakeholders at the national and international levels to save a species: bluefin tuna. Read on for more details.

Bluefin tuna, a fish which is a symbol of the Mediterranean, has been overfished for decades due to its highly sought-after flesh, which is particularly popular with those who enjoy Japanese cuisine. In the mid-2000s, as prices soared, 80% of stocks disappeared and the survival of the species appeared to be at risk. Despite the alarms raised by scientists and environmental organisations, fishermen continued to overexploit stocks.

Nearly 10 years later, this measure has borne fruit: stocks have now been replenished to the extent that it was recently possible to increase quotas.

As for fishermen, they have come to understand that it is in their interests to conserve a species on which they depend.

Thanks to this collective effort at a number of levels, an endangered species has been saved.