They streak through the Florida Straits at up to 50 mph, Harley-Davidson-size fish on their way from spawning in the Gulf of Mexico to the rich feeding grounds off the northeastern United States and Canada.
Atlantic bluefin tuna once drew Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey and thousands of other anglers to Florida and the Bahamas for white-knuckled fights with one of the strongest fish in the ocean.
But few people see tuna off South Florida today. The fish have undergone a sharp decline to feed a ravenous demand for sushi and sashimi in Japan, where a single high-quality tuna can fetch more than $150,000 at auction. The BP oil spill took place where the tunas congregate to spawn, with unknown impact on their reproduction. Now the National Marine Fisheries Service has announced it will consider whether to put the tuna on the endangered species list, a melancholy fate for a once-abundant predator respected for its strength and fighting ability.
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