Rare Earth1 Nov 2024

Rise of the Tuna

It's four metres long, the weight of two grizzly bears and dangerously delicious. The Bluefin Tuna is back in British waters so Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are here to celebrate the role of the tuna in food, culture and nature.

Unseen since the 1960s, these enormous fish have surprised surfers and anglers by leaping clear out of the waters of South-West England. Rare Earth takes a deep dive with the tuna to examine their unusual biology and their cultural importance to people all around the world. They can live up to 60 years, dive up to 1km below the ocean surface and swim as fast as 40 km per hour. Unfortunately for the bluefin, they’re particularly tasty, prized for their meaty sashimi, with some fish reaching prices close to £2m in the ceremonial new year auction at Tokyo’s fish market.

Tom explores the intense Japanese relationship with tuna while Helen makes a plea to give this fish the respect it deserves- we should celebrate its extraordinary biology rather than stuffing it in a tiny can with a ‘dolphin-friendly’ stamp on the label.

Producer: Alasdair Cross

Assistant Producer: Toby Field

Rare Earth is a BBC Audio Wales and West production in conjunction with the Open University

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(61)

Leaving Fossil Fuels Behind

Is the conflict in Iran, with its knock-on effect on oil supplies, accelerating the shift away from fossil fuels? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski debate the issues with a panel of experts: Josh Gabbatiss f...

30 Mai 52min

World of Flowers

Tom and Helen explore why the evolution of flowers created the world we know today, uncover some of the fascinating ways flowers use shape, colour and scent to bewitch pollinators, and dig into how po...

22 Mai 52min

The Joy of Soil

Beneath our feet is a world wide web that keeps us all alive. Estimated to be the origin of about 97% of the calories we eat, soil is fundamental to life. But it's a whole living world of its own. A...

3 Apr 52min

Hot Sport

The 2026 World Cup is expected to be the most environmentally costly yet. But are there alternative models that provide sporting thrills without the carbon cost?Helen Czerski and Qasa Alom consider t...

27 Mar 53min

America and the Planet

President Trump has been very clear in his views on climate change but how much of his rhetoric will have real impacts on the environment in the US and worldwide? Tom Heap and Helen Czerski are joine...

20 Mar 52min

Lakes, Lochs and Loughs

Plunge into the chilly embrace of the UK's lakes and you enter troubled waters. They're a place for recreation and an inspiration for our greatest poets but they're also on the frontline in the battl...

13 Mar 53min

Should we still have zoos?

This year London Zoological Society marks its 200th anniversary. Established in 1826, today it has around 8000 animals and claims to be "the original scientific zoo". In this programme, Helen Czerski ...

6 Mar 53min

Ocean Explorers

150 years ago the British research ship Challenger returned from a three and a half year voyage that changed the world. Plucking species from every ocean, at depths never explored before, the Challen...

27 Feb 53min