Bluefin Tuna Sushi

A single bluefin tuna sold for $3.1 million at Tokyo's Tsukiji market in 2019. The species is critically endangered, with Atlantic bluefin populations declining by over 80% since the 1970s. Yet sushi culture — and the prestige economics of Japanese fish auctions — continues to drive demand. The controversy pits conservation against cultural tradition, and international fishing quotas have been accused of being too little, too late, for a species that may not survive the century.