SWR eco-checker Joti gets to the bottom of canned fish.
What about the popular canned fish?
There are eight types of tuna. Yellowfin and whitefin tuna are particularly popular. The “bonito” makes up 58 percent of the world’s fish catches and is considered a subgroup of tuna. That's why it is also called the "secret ninth tuna". Of all tuna, it ends up in canning most often because it has never been affected by overfishing or threatened with extinction. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the population of many tuna species has recovered since 2021. This applies, for example, to bluefin tuna, yellowfin tuna and albacore tuna. However, bigeye tuna is still endangered.
How does the fish get into the can?
Tunas are predatory fish and live in salt water. The skipjack comes from tropical waters and is the smallest of all tuna species. There are different fishing methods: the most animal and environmentally friendly one is fishing by hand. The fish are attracted with decoys and then fished out of the water with large fishing rods. Critical fishing methods include: Catching with decoy buoys, trawl nets or longlines. In addition to the tuna, a lot of bycatch also ends up in the net.
Information on the can
Fishing method, gear category, fishing area and sub-fishing area: all of this must be visible on every can of tuna. In addition, various seals can be used as indications of fair fishing. One of the most important labels, for example, is the msc label. It stands for “controlled sustainable fishing”. However, in recent years it has often been accused, especially by environmental associations, of keeping the criteria according to which it is awarded too lax. Other seals for orientation can be the asc label, the Dolphin Safe label or the friend of the sea label.
Why is there no organic tuna?
Tunas are difficult to breed and due to their hunting instinct and size, the effort would be too high. You won't be able to find aqua-cultured or organic tuna at the moment. There are already vegan tuna alternatives: If you only eat the fish because it tastes good, there are many products made from plant proteins such as soy, peas or wheat.
Related Links
WWF (2021): Tuna in the species lexicon
Consumer advice center (2022) Which fish can you still eat ?
Planet Wissen (2019): Fishing methods
Source:
Ökocheck SWR Credits Author: Melissa Bakowsky, Vanessa Reichelt
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