![tuna iStock_000011854768XSmall[1]](http://greenbeings.com.au/greenroom/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/tuna-iStock_000011854768XSmall1-150x150.jpg "tuna iStock_000011854768XSmall[1]")
It’s not easy to tell if the tuna you are eating comes from overfished stocks or is caught using destructive fishing techniques. As tuna stocks begin to collapse, selecting sustainably fished tuna is vital. GreenPeace has prepared a ‘canned tuna guide’ to show us what to look for before heading to the checkout.
Over half the world’s tuna comes from the pacific. Of the seven species of tuna in the Pacific, six are over exploited. Stocks of Southern Bluefin tuna have collapsed, and Bigeye, Yellowfin and Albacore tuna are overfished.
Industrial fishing methods mean that tuna is scooped up using huge purse seine nets, or caught on baited fishing lines which can be as long as 100km. Both these methods result in a significant bycatch of around 10% and 35%. The bycatch includes turtles and sharks as well as juvenile tuna.
Skipjack is the only healthy tuna species left in the Pacific. It is considered sustainable if it is caught using selective fishing methods. When Skipjack is caught using pole and line or troll fishing, from healthy stocks along coastal states it is considered both fair and sustainable.
No Australian tuna brand uses sustainable tuna. Even the top brands use destructive fishing techniques. GreenPeace is leading the fight to urge supermarkets to switch to sustainably caught Skipjack tuna.
GreenPeace’s guide ranks the typical canned tuna brands in terms of their sustainability and recommends a number of actions to enable us to make informed decisions about the fish we eat. In order to do this we must be able to see what it is we are buying. Therefore labelling should show:
- The species in the can (e.g. skipjack tuna, Katsuwonus pelamis)
- The area where the catch came from and the name of the stock
- The production method and fishing technique (e.g. wild caught, purse seine net with fish aggregating device)
Waitrose, Sainsburys and Marks and Spencers in the UK have all moved to pole and line caught tuna. It’s time to do it in Australia.
