World Tuna Day

Tuna fish. Pixabay.com / 2013 / CC0 1.0

The 2nd of May is World Tuna Day.

It is a United Nations designated food day to help us appreciate the economic and ecological importance of tuna fish.

Tuna is in high if not overwhelming demand.

We now take tuna fish for granted, thanks to its ubiquitous presence in little tins even on dusty store shelves in the most remote small towns. But, tuna fishing is reaching unsustainable levels and conservation management is needed to prevent tuna stocks from crashing.

The hope is that activities today will provide an occasion to get politicians, civil servants and the tuna fishing industry thinking about how to conserve this important resource for the future.

#WorldTunaDay

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WorldTunaDay

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WorldTunaDay

See also: Tuna

Tuna as food

There’s no question that tuna is a very high-quality food for people to be eating. It offers a source of lean protein ^[1]In fact, Weight Watchers® as of 2019 made tuna a zero point (“eat as much as you want”) food on one of their weight management plans people can choose from that’s also packed with vital micro nutrients. People who don’t like fish because of the “fishy taste” typically don’t mind tinned tuna, as it doesn’t have that taste to it.

Most tuna is used for making canned tuna, and sashimi / sushi in restaurants. ^[2]World Tuna Day: 2 May. United Nations. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tuna-day Fattier tuna is preferred for sashimi/sushi, while lighter, leaner tuna is preferred for canning.

Tuna fishing is an economically important industry.

Tuna is a very important fish economically, and not just to fishermen: behind them, there is a whole chain of people also dependent on it for their livelihood.

“In many [] places — particularly coastal communities and islands — tuna is a staple every day. It is an essential component of food security and nutrition, a driver of employment and economic development, a source of recreation and cultural identity.” ^[3]Di Carlo, Giuseppe and Marcel Kroese. The World Needs a New Approach to Tuna. World Wildlife Foundation. 30 April 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://wwf.medium.com/the-world-needs-a-new-approach-to-tuna-1a3d39f5ad8f

96 countries have tuna fisheries. ^[4]Blaha, Francisco. World Tuna Day: What does it mean for the Pacific? Radio New Zealand Pacific . 2 May 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/441624/world-tuna-day-what-does-it-mean-for-the-pacific “6 million people are employed within the tuna industry in the Asia-Pacific region alone.” ^[5]Little, Will. Tuna fishing rapidly shifting toward sustainability. Marine Stewardship Council. 2 May 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.msc.org/media-centre/news-opinion/news/2021/05/02/world-tuna-day-tuna-fishing-shifting-toward-sustainability

For some nations, being able to fish waters in remote parts of the world for tuna is just a source of profit and if tuna stocks collapse, they will move on and fish something else. But for those island countries right there in those tuna-rich areas of the central and west Pacific, it would be an economic, cultural and food security loss.

“Pacific nations manage their tuna fisheries sustainably because they are capable and understand better than anyone else, the implications of a failure….. For non-Pacific Islands and Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFN) the issue of tuna sustainability is one of long-term financial benefit. However, for coastal States PICs (Pacific Island Coastal States) it is also an identity and food security issue, one that DWFNs have less trouble with, as they can leave… but PICs cannot.” ^[6]Blaha, Francisco. World Tuna Day: What does it mean for the Pacific? Radio New Zealand Pacific . 2 May 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/441624/world-tuna-day-what-does-it-mean-for-the-pacific

The current situation

People are no longer debating whether current tuna fishing levels are unsustainable or not. Instead, the debate is around just how unsustainable, and whether the UN data is capturing the whole picture. Part of the answer to that depends on how honest the reporting of catches is, and what margin for error one uses. ^[7]World Tuna Day: How sustainable are tuna fisheries? The Economist Group. 29 April 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://ocean.economist.com/governance/articles/world-tuna-day-how-sustainable-are-tuna-fisheries

There’s also the side question of poor labour practices and labour abuses happening in the grey areas of illegal and unregulated tuna fishing industry. ^[8]Di Carlo, Giuseppe and Marcel Kroese. The World Needs a New Approach to Tuna. World Wildlife Foundation. 30 April 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://wwf.medium.com/the-world-needs-a-new-approach-to-tuna-1a3d39f5ad8f

Most people agree that the very way in which tuna is fished for needs to change, in order to stop catching other fish by accident that damages stocks of those fish.

Many large buyers of tuna for canning such as Walmart, Bumble Bee, StarKist and Lidl are now making commitments to source tuna from fisheries that are certified sustainable by the Marine Stewardship Council. ^[9]Little, Will. Tuna fishing rapidly shifting toward sustainability. Marine Stewardship Council. 2 May 2021. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.msc.org/media-centre/news-opinion/news/2021/05/02/world-tuna-day-tuna-fishing-shifting-toward-sustainability

Activities for today

• make a meal with tuna, canned or fresh;
• go out for sushi;
• have friends over and grill some tuna steaks;
• resolve to make your tuna salad sandwiches healthier by mixing the mayonnaise with low-fat mayo or low-fat yoghurt, or, replace the mayo entirely with some lemon juice;
• if you are a teacher, incorporate a look at sustainable fishing into today’s lessons;
• learn how to look for the blue MSC logo on tins of tuna to be sure you are supporting certified sustainable tuna fisheries with your money.

Marine Stewardship Council logo. Openfoodfacts-contributors / OpenFoodFacts.org / CC BY-SA 3.0

Recipes

• Baked Tuna, Zucchini and Spinach Pasta
• Chickpeas and Tuna
• Tuna Pasta Salad (Light)
• Tuna and Anchovy Pasta
• Tuna and Chickpea Salad
• Tuna Cakes
• Tuna Cashew Pasta Salad
• Tuna Pasta Salad with Pesto
• Tuna & Celery Casserole

History

In December 2016, the United Nations General Assembly voted to officially observe World Tuna Day in its resolution 71/124. ^[10]World Tuna Day: 2 May. United Nations. Accessed May 2021 at https://www.un.org/en/observances/tuna-day

Further reading

https://www.msc.org/species/tuna

https://www.un.org/en/observances/tuna-day

Tengvall, Jessica. Sustainable Fisheries: The MSC Label. Food Unfolded. 9 July 2019.