40
|
WINTER 2014
LIFE AQUATIC
Warm-blooded apex predators that
never stop swimming, tuna play a
key role in regulating the ocean
food web. They are “the pinnacle
of bony fish evolution.”
W
hat’s the first thing that comes to mind
when you hear the word “tuna”?
Is it bland, pinkish sandwich filling?
Crimson slivers of velvety sashimi? Or
perhaps a cartoon fish with a hat, glasses and a Brooklyn
accent? If so, don’t worry — you are not alone. Decades
of seafood marketing and cultural perception are at work
here. But after years of being treated like the “chicken of
the sea,” it’s about time tuna got the respect they deserve.
ATHLETES OF THE SEA
Let’s clarify one thing up front: Tuna are not ordinary
fish. They are athletic freaks of nature, built for raw
power, speed and endurance. They can withstand
intense cold, dive to crushing depths and swim at speeds
approaching 50 miles per hour. The largest species can
grow to staggering dimensions: sometimes 10 feet or
more in length. The world-record Atlantic bluefin tuna,
reeled in off Nova Scotia in 1979, weighed 1,496 pounds
and ranks high on the list of the biggest fish ever caught.
“They are the pinnacle of bony fish evolution —
they’re the ‘super fish,’” said Barbara Block, a marine
biologist at Stanford University, who is one of the
world’s leading experts on bluefin tuna.
Block and her team have tagged and tracked more
than 2,000 Atlantic and Pacific bluefin during her
career. Their research has revealed much about the
epic migrations undertaken by these extraordinary fish,
such as the Pacific bluefin that swam from California
to Japan and back — more than 10,000 miles — in the
span of just five months in 2003.
Similar to lions and wolves, tuna are apex predators
that travel long distances in search of prey, tend
to hunt in groups (schools) and play a key role in
regulating the ocean food web. While it may seem
strange to compare the main ingredients in Fancy
Feast with such iconic land mammals, there’s more
truth in the comparison than you might suspect.
TUNA:
SUPER FISH
B Y M A T T D O Z I E R
BRANDON COLE
