The WWF released a report recently that highlighted the drastic decline in bluefin tuna numbers in the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic. The report revealed that Mediterranean tuna farm stocks have fallen by 25% in the last year and catches in the western Mediterranean have fallen to 15% of what they were ten years ago. The report cites illegal overfishing as a serious concern, estimating that it has resulted in the taking of fish 40% over quota restrictions.

The UK government has now called on the EU to tighten protection measures for bluefin tuna in an effort to counter the species' rapid decline.

Find out more:

• Overfishing Devastes Bluefin Tuna Populations (Nature Notes)
• UK Calls for Action to Save Tuna (BBC News)
• The Plunder of Bluefin Tuna in the Mediterranean and East Atlantic in 2004 and 2005 (WWF)