In 2003, the journal Nature published an article titled "The Consumption of Carnivorous Fish Worldwide", which made the front page of major newspapers, which concluded that nearly 80% of the world's large tuna was consumed as early as 1980. While this conclusion has been rejected by all the scientific bodies that have reviewed the data, the belief that there has been a significant decline in tuna globally is deeply ingrained in the scientific community.
The reality is that in 2010, when large-scale industrial tuna fisheries began, tuna catches as a whole accounted for 50% of their total volume. This figure is higher than the target set. Only bluefin tuna has been overfished. A total of 5 different species of tuna are fished on the high seas** and are managed by international organizations. According to the size and value of tuna, it is divided into bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore tuna, and skipjack tuna. Bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna and higher-quality yellowfin and albacore tuna are used exclusively for sashimi and sushi, while lower-quality fish, including whole bonito, are used for canning.
Bluefin tuna has become generally overexploited. We understand that fish mortality rates remain high in the Atlantic, but they are consumed more in the southern Indian Ocean than bluefin tuna in the southern Indian Ocean. Bluefin tuna catches in the region have decreased significantly, but are still above the maximum sustained catch. In the United States, overfishing is defined as the decline in the overall biomass of a stock below the maximum sustained catch, and no tuna can be judged to be overfished by this standard. Some bigeye and yellowfin tuna populations are already below their long-term target biomass. Based on current biomass and catches, yellowfin tuna populations are still within reasonable limits, but there is a worrying trend towards increased catches and decreasing biomass. In addition to the high catch of albacore tuna in the North Atlantic, skipjack tuna and albacore tuna are in good condition.
Growing flavor in 2024 With the exception of bluefin tuna, the overall population of tuna is very optimistic, and if this is attributed to proper management, it is not so much due to economic factors that limit the current catch. The amount of tuna in the future may depend more on international oil prices and the tuna market**.