Last week Canada’s scientists declared the Atlantic bluefin tuna endangered, meaning it faces imminent extirpation or extinction. [...] It’s highly unlikely that Canada will give any protections to bluefin tuna. Canada has never protected a commercially fished species under SARA (including cod) and seems unlikely to start with bluefin [...] The United States is poised to make its own endangered status determination, due next week. Unlike Canada’s SARA, the U.S. listing determination under the Endangered Species Act must be based on science, not taking into account economic factors. But politics play a large part in U.S. listings too.