In salad, pasta, sushi, grilled, tuna is one of the favorite and most versatile fish found on Italian and global tables. This high consumption can easily result in uncontrolled and excessive fishing, which may threaten the survival of this essential resource.
To highlight the need for responsible, coordinated, and efficient tuna fishery management, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) today publishes the Italian version of the “Sustainable Tuna Guide 2021”, providing readers with useful information for a better understanding of global fishing of this precious fish.
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Italians are major consumers of tuna
With 129,187 tons of tuna imported in 2018 (8% of the total), Italy ranks as the world’s second largest importer right after the United States. An Italian consumes on average about 3 kg of tuna per year.
Of the five main tuna species in trade (skipjack, albacore, bluefin, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna), the skipjack tuna is the most caught and sold worldwide, and it is the most common ingredient in canned tuna in Europe, although in Italy yellowfin tuna is preferred.
50% of skipjack stocks are located in the central southwestern Pacific Ocean, where PNA, a fishery for skipjack and yellowfin tuna, introduced catch limitation measures, bycatch reduction (including endangered, threatened, and protected species, ETP), and a comprehensive monitoring, control, and surveillance system for its fishery that allowed it to pass the MSC Standard assessment for sustainable fishing.
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A tuna for every dish
The five main tuna species (skipjack, albacore, bluefin, bigeye, and yellowfin) have different qualities suited for different uses. The delicate flavor of yellowfin tuna is perfect for a fillet. For sashimi and sushi, the ideal is the raw, fatty meat of bigeye or bluefin tuna. Albacore is perfect for salads, while the small size of skipjack makes it ideal for canning. To discover tasty recipes with a sustainability flavor, click here: Sustainable Recipes | Marine Stewardship Council (msc.org)
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5.8 million tons of tuna caught in 2019
The United Nations estimate that nearly 5.7 million tons of tuna were caught in 2019. This considerable amount must be fished sustainably to keep tuna populations at healthy levels.
Most of the 23 tuna populations worldwide remain in good health. A United Nations report shows that over five years the number of major overfished tuna populations has decreased from thirteen to five: further reduction of this number requires careful and long-term management.
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50% of caught tuna is involved in the MSC sustainable fishing program
Of the 5.7 million tons of tuna caught, 28.9% comes from MSC-certified fisheries and one fifth (20.4%) is currently under assessment according to the MSC Standard. Another fifth of global tuna catches comes from fisheries making required improvements to achieve certification (19.54% in a fishery improvement project). To obtain MSC certification, a tuna fishery must leave enough individuals in the sea to reproduce, respect the marine ecosystem, and be managed to adapt to changing environmental conditions. The MSC certification program is science-based and recognized by the United Nations as “the only scientific measurement tool for fishery certification and labeling program that meets the best practice requirements established by the FAO.” To ensure the tuna you purchase is caught according to MSC sustainability criteria, look for the blue label on the package.
Bonus: And did you know…?
- Skipjack is the smallest tuna species, reaching about 1 meter in length, half the length of bluefin tuna which can reach two meters.
- Top predators in the food chain, tunas feed on small and medium-sized fish, whose abundance is fundamental to allow tuna to thrive: a delicate balance that must be protected by taking care of the entire ocean ecosystem.
- Tropical skipjack can reproduce from about 2 years old, and an adult female can lay up to 2 million eggs per day at any time of the year. Once fertilized, the eggs hatch within a day, floating in ocean currents as zooplankton (NOAA). Tunas in colder waters have a longer life cycle; for example, albacore tuna in the Indian Ocean usually must reach 5-6 years before reproducing, which happens every 2.2 days from November to January, when females release up to 2.6 million eggs. (PlosOne)
- Tuna is an important global resource, representing more than 8% of the world’s fish trade according to United Nations data. By 2027, the canned tuna market could be valued up to $11.89 billion (Bloomberg News).
