Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
22
A MILLION-GALLON FISHBOWL
OUR R&D EFFORTS WITH
molas, bonito, and barracuda having gone
well, we were finally ready to tackle the major challenge of the new
wing: to see if we could catch, transport, and keep tuna. To date,
tuna hadn't been kept in any aquarium in the United States, though
Tokyo Sea Life Park, which opened in 1989, had a large, successful
exhibit for the sole purpose of displaying yellowfin, bluefin, and skip-
jack tuna.
Tuna are highly prized in Japan and are served raw as maguro
sashimi and sushi throughout the country. Bluefin are especially
sought after; a single large fish of prime quality—which might be
flown in fresh from as far away as the Mediterranean, South Aus-
tralia, or New England—will sell in Tokyo's Tsukiji Fish Market for
tens of thousands of dollars. This incredible demand has led to a se-
rious decline in the North Atlantic bluefin population. At the same
time, however, extensive aquaculture operations have sprung up on
Kyushu and Shikoku, the southernmost of the main islands of Japan,
where, in protected bays, thousands of young bluefins are held in
huge, anchored net pens until they grow to marketable size. The com-
mercial aspect of raising tuna appeals, I believe, to anyone interested
in aquariums, aquaculture techniques, conservation, and econom-
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