After 32 years of research, scientists in Japan have finally succeeded in artificially cultivating the blue-fin tuna.
This is seen as a major breakthrough since the blue-fin is one of the most difficult species of tuna to breed in captivity. The Bluefin is the largest among the different tuna varieties.
It can reach 3 to 4 meters in length, and weigh up to 500 kilogram’s. But despite its size, the fish is delicate and elusive.
And demand for this tuna is quickly depleting the species in the wild. That is why achieving the first ever full-cycle cultivation of the Bluefin is getting scientists all excited.
The Kinki University Fisheries Laboratory, near the fishing port of Kushimotocho, is where the cultivation takes place. It is the same lab that also managed a full-cycle cultivation for other fishes, including sea bream and sole.
Full-cycle cultivation means that eggs hatched from artificially-incubated fish are grown to maturity. This batch is then used to create a new generation that has no direct contact with the wild.
Fish which were artificially incubated there some 6 years ago are now of breeding age. And two thirds of the one million eggs produced have been successfully incubated.
Scientists are now hopeful that the same technique can be used to preserve other species.