May 2, World Tuna Day
2018-05-02
News Department
Tuna: A Sustainable Fish Species
Millions of people depend on the ocean for their livelihoods, and so ocean resources should be managed sustainably.
For both developed and developing countries, tuna plays not only a vital economic role but is also an important food source. There are about 40 species of tuna worldwide, inhabiting the waters of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans and the Mediterranean. Tuna are extraordinary — they can leap high out of the water; they migrate in schools; they are warm-blooded; and they travel alongside dolphins to protect themselves from sharks.
Yet despite all the remarkable qualities of tuna, the enormous demand for them poses a threat to their survival.
There are two main categories of products driving the demand for tuna: traditional canned tuna and tuna sashimi/sushi, and this demand is also reflected in the related differences in tuna species, quality requirements and production systems. The canned market is dominated mostly by white-meat species, namely skipjack and yellowfin, while the sushi market gives preference to the fatty bluefin tuna and some red-meat species, including bigeye tuna. Bluefin tuna is the most popular fish in the sushi market, and most of it is sold to Japan.
The purpose of commemorating World Tuna Day is to highlight the importance of the sustainable management of tuna stocks for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Source: Pacific Rim Institute for Development and Education (P.R.I.D.E.)