Many are concerned that bluefin tuna could easily become endangered due to high demand as a food source and resultant overfishing. Because bluefin tuna are migratory, they are often fished in international waters which caused the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas to be created in 1966. The ICCAT proposes management methods, conservation methods, and conducts reseach. Also in 2001 helicopter spotting was banned in the Mediterranean to try to control the amount harvested. Bluefin tuna cannot be breed in captivity. Bluefin tuna farms are not real farms. Tuna are instead caught and fattened rapidly, then processed.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: endangered