The One Thing We Can Do on Earth Day - and Every Day - to Help Save Our Oceans.

(Dive Travel Business News - April 22, 2010) -- At Beneath the Sea this past March, we heard it straight from Her Deepness, when legendary oceanographer Dr. Sylvia Earle was conducting a seminar with renowned marine artist Wyland entitled, "Ten Years to Save Our Oceans."

Asked what is the one thing we can do to help the oceans in time, Dr. Earle's reply was:
"Don't eat tuna."

Here's one powerful thing we can each do for our blue planet on Earth Day - and every day: "Let Charlie Tuna swim away".

Dr. Earle is the Explorer in Residence at National Geographic and former chief scientist at NOAA - the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Her latest book "The World is Blue - How Our Fate and the Ocean's Are One " has been called the "Silent Spring" of our time. Dr. Earle was honored with the prestigious TED Prize in 2009: If you have not watched Dr. Sylvia Earle's TED wish, don't miss this 18-minute video of her TED speech. Among other things, this video will explain why we cannot eat any more tuna.

Top 10 Reasons Not to Eat Tuna...
Inspired by Dr. Earle, we decided to put together our own list of reasons why we have to stop thinking tuna is just "chicken of the sea".

1. There are Hardly Any Left.
We could stop the list here but we think you need to know the eye-opening details found in a Green Peace report: There are twenty-three tuna populations in the world, and nine are fully fished, four are over-exploited, three are critically endangered, three merely endangered, and three are vulnerable to extinction. Ninety percent of the global population of predatory fish (like tuna and shark) has already been wiped out - we're down to 10% and we're still fishing. Why? One bluefin tuna can sell for up to $100,000.

The bluefin tuna is a critically endangered species. The bluefin tuna is a highly prized eating fish by the Japanese and other tuna connoisseurs so it has been "over-fished". The IUCN, which produces the Red List of Threatened Species, lists the Southern bluefin tuna (the largest species of tuna) as Critically Endangered. Unfortunately, the UN voted down an international motion to ban the trade Atlantic bluefin tuna when 175 countries convened in Quatar for the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) of wild flora and fauna conference in March 2010. This defeat occurred after Japanese government officials furiously lobbied to enlist help from bluefin exporters and developing nations in opposing the ban, even though strong scientific evidence showed that a complete ban on trade is required for this fish to recover. It was a sadly-ironic kick off the UN-designated International Year of Biodiversity 2010.

2. Tuna are an Important Part of the Marine Eco-System.
Bluefin tuna are important both as predators and prey, playing a crucial role maintaining the marine food web. The young are a food source for sharks, seabirds, and orca, while mature bluefin are the oceans' master hunters, similar to sharks in their importance in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.

3. Tuna like Bluefin, Yellowfin, even Albacore Create By-Catch.
The innocuous term "by-catch" really means that tuna fishing kills massive amounts of sea life: The use of long lines to fish tuna in the Pacific is one of the factors behind a 95% loss of leatherback turtles over the last three decades. Between half a million and 1.4 million sharks die on long lines in the Western Pacific alone. Tuna caught in so-called Fish Aggregation Devices caused the most bycatch. One study conducted for ICCAT between 2006-2007 detailed the diversity of mega fauna caught as bycatch and either dumped back in the ocean or sold as "Faux Poisson": The list included sailfish, blue marlin, 7 species of sharks and rays, 3 species of turtle, wahoo, rainbow runner, dolphin fish (Mahi Mahi), dolphins, two whale sharks and literally tons of juvenile tuna. The reduction in numbers of such major predators, and the culling of juvenile tuna have a huge environmental impact on the ocean's eco-system that is often overlooked.

4. There is No Such Thing as Dolphin-Safe Tuna.
"Tuna is about as "dolphin-friendly" as a boat propeller," say the people at Fishinghurts. The Green Peace report " Tinned Tuna's Hidden Catch" states that a "Dolphin-Safe" label is not a guarantee of sustainably fished tuna. Dolphins get trapped in tuna nets and are hooked on long lines. But that's not all: They are still killed intentionally by Japanese because dolphins prey on tuna and other prize catches that the Japanese love to eat. The academy award-winning documentary " The Cove" illustrates the horrible 6-month-long yearly practice of slaughtering thousands of dolphins with knives and machetes in Taiji, Japan. The common thought is dolphin are fished for food, but the word on the streets in Taiji is the dolphin slaughter is a form of pest control.

5. Tuna Fishing can be Barbaric and Illegal.
Tuna fishing practices are outlined here by Green Peace. Large tuna like bluefin are caught on miles of longlines that are left in the ocean for days at a time. Some tuna bleed to death struggling to free themselves from the lines. So do the dolphins, sharks and other sealife that are caught on the longlines as "by-catch". Those tuna found still living on the longline's barbed hooks are beaten unconscious before they are thrown into the freezer. Much of the by-catch is dumped back in the water or sold legally, or illegally as "Faux Poisson".

6. A Source of Mercury Poisoning.
Tuna is a topline predator. Tuna accumulates toxic mercury in its flesh as a result of the build up of industrial pollution from the concentrated levels of mercury found in the fish it eats in the food chain. Mercury levels increase with size and age of the fish. A leading benchmark for maximum mercury safety is a maximum daily consumption of 0.1 microgrammes of mercury per kilo of human bodyweight per day, set by the US Environmental Protection Agency. A recent study conducted by Jacob Lowenstein at the American Museum of Natural History in New York revealed 100 samples taken from restaurants and grocery stores with up to 3.5 times the safe mercury benchmark levels provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency and exceeded the concentration permitted by Japan and the maximum daily consumption considered safe by the US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada and the European Commission. So much for government benchmarks.

7. It's Bad for Your Heart.
Tuna is loaded with omega-3 fatty acids that are good for your heart. But tuna can also be loaded with mercury, the most toxic of heavy metals to humans, and can attack the heart muscle: The toxicity of tuna far outweighs any possible heart health benefits of omega-3 fatty acids it contains. Findings presented at a 2002 conference of the American Heart Association, indicated that men with the highest levels of mercury increased their risk for heart disease by 60 percent and their risk of dying of a heart attack by 70 percent. Get your Omega-3s from healthy alternatives like flaxseeds and walnuts.

8. A Source of Food Poisoning at Sushi, Picnic and Buffet Tables.
Seafood is the number one cause of food poisoning in the U.S.. In addition to Mercury poisoning, tuna poses other food poisoning risks:

Anisakiasis is a fish-transmitted infection caused by the ingestion of third-stage larvae belonging to the parasitic worm family Anisakidae. It can occur by the consumption of raw tuna fish or dishes with undercooked tuna. Stay away from the sushi buffet, especially "ahi" (typically Yellow Fin Tuna) and Hon Maguro or Toro (typically Blue Fin Tuna) - it could give you food poisoning.
Scombroid poisoning is caused by a chemical toxin that is produced by bacterial spoilage of certain types of tuna and other dark meat fish when they are not refrigerated well.
Botulism is a nerve toxin that can be is found canned tuna and almost any type of canned food that is not very acidic (pH above 4.6). Outbreaks are low and usually found in inadequately processed canned foods - but the disease is a concern because of its high mortality rate if not treated immediately.
Although rare, Salmonella poisoning has been linked to eating raw tuna in Hawaii and the mainland USA.
Staphylococcus aureus is a toxin-producing bacteria found in cream-filled desserts and salads - like tuna salad - when the foods aren't chilled properly.

9. Tuna are Amazing Creatures.
One of the largest fish in the ocean, the bluefin tuna, can reach 15 feet in length and weigh more than 1,500 pounds. Even smaller tuna species, such as yellowfin and albacore, can grow to be 6.5 feet long and weigh hundreds of pounds. The tuna is known as a "pelagic" - it's an ocean-going free-range fish. It's capable of trans-oceanic migration in 21 days. It cruises at 10-12 mph with the Atlantic bluefin clocking in top speeds of 50 mph over short distances. Research suggests that fish like tuna have cognitive abilities that exceed some dogs. Why are we making tuna salad sandwiches out of them and grinding them into cat food?

10. We Have Alternatives.
In April 2009, the WWF predicted that bluefin would be functionally extinct by 2012 if fishing practices did not change. Given the current lack of respect for scientific advice by fisheries decision-makers, and the ability of countries like Japan to sway developing nations, the WWF is now encouraging restaurants, chefs, retailers and consumers to stop buying, serving, selling and eating endangered bluefin tuna. We're not eating pandas, so why are we still eating bluefin tuna? We have options. Vegetarian tuna, available from Vegieworld, is a double-take fake tuna that is perfect for sandwiches, casseroles, and "fish" cakes. It is packed with protein and has an uncanny "tuna" flavor and texture, but it's free of mercury, harmful bacteria, and suffering. Alternatively, just eat sustainable, free range, organic "chicken of the land."

If you really have to eat tuna, here are some tuna guidelines from the Environmental Defense Fund. And to choose sustainable fish for your dinner table, there's the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch fact sheet. But remember, every day is Earth Day. Why not let Charlie Tuna swim away?

By Laurie J. Wilson, Editor DTBN

Additional Sources:
http://www.twodoctors.org/2008/08/dont-eat-tuna.html
http://www.japanfocus.org/-David-McNeill/2306
http://www.nrdc.org/health/effects/mercury/tuna.asp
http://marine-conservation.suite101.com/article.cfm/reasons_to_not_eat_t...
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2000/IsaacKlein.shtml
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/trcc.asp
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.asp...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/blueplanet/infobursts/bycatch_bg.shtml