VIDEO

Sustainability: Bluefin Bait

Wicked Tuna's fishermen weigh in on the state of the herring population off the coast of Gloucester.

Grades

9 - 12+

Subjects

Biology

Partner

The major food source for bluefin tuna is a small, silver fish called herring. Herring are common in the waters of the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada. Herring has been fished in the North Atlantic for hundreds of years and is typically canned for humans to eat, or used in fishmeal for feeding livestock or in fish farms.

commercial fishing

noun

industry responsible for catching and selling fish.

fishery

noun

industry or occupation of harvesting fish, either in the wild or through aquaculture.

fish stock

noun

amount of fish available to be harvested in a specific area at a specific time.

herring

noun

type of fish.

population

noun

total number of people or organisms in a particular area.

predator

noun

animal that hunts other animals for food.

trawl

verb

to fish by dragging a large net along the bottom of the body of water.

1. Why are bluefin tuna fishers concerned about herring?

Answer

Herring are the major food source for bluefin tuna.

2. How did the bluefin tuna respond to lower herring populations?

Answer

The bluefin tuna went to areas with more food, such as in Canadian waters.

3. Why have the bluefin tuna come back to Northeast waters?

Answer

The National Marine Fisheries Service has placed new regulations on herring boats. These regulations have resulted in greater numbers of herring, and the return of bluefin tuna following food into United States coastal waters.

Credits

Media Credits

The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited.

Writer

Meghan E. Marrero

Editor

Cathlyn Matracia

Expert Reviewer

Julie Brown, National Geographic Society

Producer

Alison Michel, National Geographic Programs

other

Last Updated

October 19, 2023

User Permissions

For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. They will best know the preferred format. When you reach out to them, you will need the page title, URL, and the date you accessed the resource.

Media

If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. If no button appears, you cannot download or save the media.

Text

Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service.

Interactives

Any interactives on this page can only be played while you are visiting our website. You cannot download interactives.