How often do you eat tuna fish? How much do you know about this fish?
The tuna is a truly glorious creature, worthy of an ode. Here’s one!
“
"O tuna of the oceans deep
Mighty hunter, none can match your speed
Save fast boats and nets.
Take heed, O fast darting one who never sleeps
No boat is faster than the one called Greed."”
Notes on the Giant Blue Fin
In biological terms, the tuna is simply an amazing animal, and of all the tuna species, the northern Giant Blue Fin (Thunnus Thynnus) is perhaps the most amazing of all. It is a warm blooded fish (i.e., it uses a unique heat exchange circulatory system that keeps it warmer than the surrounding water)and can survive in the warm surface waters of the Mediterranean and in the frigid and deep waters of the North Atlantic,at depths as great as 3000 feet. Because of this incredible variation in depth and sea temperature, the Giant Blue Fin has this amazing regulatory system, as well as a lot of insulating fat.
Growing over ten feet in length and reaching weights of over 1400 pounds, this is a massive fish with a life span of over twenty years. Like most tuna species, the Blue Fin is highly migratory, ranging from the far eastern Mediterranean to the Gulf of Mexico and north to Canada.
It can reach speeds of fifty-miles per hour, and is an excellent predator known to hunt with other predators,notably the bottle-nosed dolphin. The muscular tail with moon-shaped fin allows it to dart away at high speeds, and the iridescent indigo blue of its top side lends a certain majesty to its presence in shallow waters.
Tuna Lore
The ancient Greeks used to watch for the annual spawning migrations of various Mediterranean tuna species, such as the albacore and the Blue Fin. The etymology of the word “tuna” actually stems from an ancient Greek verb “thuneo”, which means “to dart, to rush forward”. Climbing up on a high cliff, “tuneoskopes” or “tuna look outs” would scan for the waters for the V shape of a school of tuna headed toward an estuary or other prey-rich waters. These fast-moving tuna schools were not only great indicators of where rich fishing waters could be found;
they were also prized items themselves, if hard to catch by traditional means.
The ancient Phoenicians of Lebanon built their colonial towns in North Africa and
Southern Spain along the migratory routes and feeding grounds of these giant fish.
The fish was commercially important to the western Phoenician economy, so much so
that in Abdera(present day Adra in Andalucia, Spain), a temple to the Phoenician
god Melkart(equated with Hercules) had a façade decorated with columns shaped like
the Blue Fin. The fish appears on coins associated with most western Phoenician cities,
as well as in mosaics and paintings. The association of this fish with Hercules is no
strange artistic glitch – it is a monument to the stature of the fish itself,
and its famous qualities.
TUNA Facts
The Giant Blue Fin is a species currently on the brink of endangerment. The reasons
are related to its very own biology. Consider these factoids:
-
The Blue Fin is not sexually mature until it is about seven years old. -
Most Blue Fin are caught before they reach age three. They are still
juveniles, weighing less than 20 pounds, a mere shadow of the 1400 pounds they
could attain at maturity. -
Blue Fin school according to age – an entire school of mature fish can be wiped
out by a single boat, leaving no breeding fish at all. -
The high fat content of the Blue Fin makes it a target for Japanese and other fish
markets – a mature, full sized fish can sell for over $50,000. In other words, the demands
placed on this fish are extreme. -
Many prey species have been depleted along the Blue Fin’s migratory route. -
“Hot Food Trends” have driven up consumption of this fish in markets where traditionally it
did not play a major role.
What Tuna to Eat
Like many species of fish, all tuna species have felt the pressure of over-fishing. Yellow
Fin and Albacore are also heavily exploited, but since they reach sexual maturity earlier
than the Blue Fin, managing these fish stocks is a little (but only a little) easier.
When you do choose to eat tuna, whether in the can or on the grill, always remember
what a magnificent creature the tuna is and how it travels oceans of miles to get to your plate.
“Herculean you are, o Blue wonder of the sea,
Yet we beg you please
Stay in deep waters with the other shades
Lest you become just a distant memory”
