Would
you eat a panda burger or a tiger steak? – I would hope the answer is “No! Pandas
and tigers are not only cute, but critically endangered – eating them would be
wrong!”
Yet,
in Britain we consume tons and tons of tuna fish every single day.
Tuna
may not be ‘cute’ in the traditional sense, but they are impressive creatures –
some species can grow up to 15 feet in length, live for up to 50 years, and
they are one of the fastest-swimming fish, reaching speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. According to the United Nations Food and
Agriculture Organisation, most tuna stocks are fully exploited (meaning
increasing fishing quotas is not an option) and some are overexploited (meaning
there is a risk the tuna stocks will become critically endangered and eventually
extinct).
High
profile media campaigns such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s "FishFight" back in 2010 made huge waves
in the UK fishing industry, ensuring practices became much more sustainable.
But
in the case of tuna, there is still more to be done.
What is the problem?
The
demand for tuna (particularly in the USA and UK) is huge and overfishing is a
big concern. The biggest problem occurs when purse seine nets and fish
aggregating devices (FADS) are used – fish caught using this method tend to be
smaller, and we all know that animals killed before being given the chance to
mature and reproduce causes population decline. Another issue associated with
these methods is the large quantities of bycatch. Greenpeace produced a
shocking video about bycatch which you can view here: https://youtu.be/_JgwL0ohvXA
Also, many
people do not realise there are several different species of tuna, and one in
particular is getting very close to extinction - Bluefin tuna is used for
sushi and sashimi, and is a high-valued delicacy, costing tens of thousands of
pounds for a full grown fish. You can’t buy bluefin tuna in tins, you will only
come across it in high-end sushi restaurants. If you ever see bluefin tuna on a
menu please do not order it, and better still, explain to the restaurant owners
why! If we don’t stop fishing bluefin tuna it will go extinct, and this could
be in as little as a few years.
Dolphin Safe is not safe enough!
We’re used to seeing the ‘Dolphin-Friendly’ logo on tinned tuna
in the UK, but unfortunately it’s a bit of a red-herring! Most of the tinned
tuna in the UK is skipjack tuna, which doesn’t even swim with dophins, so of
course it is dolphin safe! People feel reassured buying ‘dolphin-friendly’
tuna, but what the logo doesn’t show you is whether the tuna came from
overexploited stocks, or if it was caught with purse seine nets and FADS which
may kill sharks, rays, turtles and other fish.
What can I do?
- Stop eating tuna! There are plenty of alternative tinned fish products on the market – try salmon, sardines, or anchovies. And here is a great recipe for a vegetarian alternative to tuna – Chickpeas of the Sea! The recipe is American but it could be easily adapted for use in the UK.
- If you can’t resist a tuna mayo sandwich, the most important thing to look out for is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) logo on tins, or a statement that the tuna is pole and line caught skipjack tuna (the most sustainable fishing method, and the least threatened tuna species). If there is no information on the tin about the species of tuna or how it was caught, don’t buy it!
- Check out Greenpeace’s tuna league tables for the best and worst products on the market (information valid as of 2014) - to summarise - Sainsbury’s is best: their own brand tuna is 100% pole and line caught. ¾ of the tuna they sell (regardless of brand) is sustainable, more than any other supermarket. They also use only sustainable tuna for other own brand products such as sandwiches and salads. Princes and John West are the worst as they both still use FADS, though they have made commitments to phase these out. *PLEASE NOTE THAT SINCE THIS LEAGUE TABLE WAS PUBLISHED ORIENTAL & PACIFIC COMMITED TO USING 100% SUSTAINABLY CAUGHT TUNA BY APRIL 2015.*
- For my friends in the USA – here’s one for you!
- Even better than supermarket brands is ‘fish4ever’ tuna. In their own words: “Fish4Ever is an action brand. We will continue to campaign for better fishing and a fairer world but in the meantime our promise to you is simply "good canned fish".” It can be difficult to get hold of, but you can check here to see if there is a stockist near you!
I'm vegetarian and I don't eat fish. I have a lot of reasons for being veggie but one of the major ones is the impact of meat and fish consumption on the planet. I believe much meat and poultry is farmed irresponsibly and that fish is often caught with the same lack of consideration. I'm not an evangelical vegetarian - eat meat and fish if you want to, it's your choice - but please, please please consider where your food is coming from and the impact it's having, in this case on other marine life and on certain species of tuna. Is your favourite snack really that important? Great post, thanks for drawing attention to this.
ReplyDeleteI am not vegetarian because I believe that humans are designed to eat meat (and I'm sorry, it tastes so good!), but I always try to be very mindful of where my meat/fish is coming from, and the kind of life the animal had before it reached my table. There is so much that goes on in the meat industry that is horrendously cruel to the animals, and damaging to the environment and I intend to do whatever I can to put a stop to those practices! I will always buy organic meat from happy free-range animals whenever possible.
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