© Associated PressAt risk: The number of bluefin tunas in the Mediterranean is decreasing and they may be wiped out from the area completely
Bluefin tuna are among more than 40 species of fish in the Mediterranean which are under threat of vanishing from the region, experts warned today.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said 43 species of marine fish were assessed as being at risk of extinction in the region, largely as a result of overfishing, damage to habitat and pollution.
The latest assessment found almost half of the sharks and rays found in the Mediterranean are at risk of extinction.
In total, 15 species were considered to be in the highest-risk category, critically endangered, 14 of which were sharks and rays including all three angel shark species found in the region.
And commercial species such as Atlantic bluefin tuna and dusky groupers are endangered, the assessment found.
Species which fall into the three most at-risk categories in the Red List assessment - critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable to extinction - are considered to be under threat of dying out.