Sustainability of the Canned Tuna Harvest - Coursework Example

Sustainability of the Canned Tuna Harvest Introduction The Tuna is the world’s most economically important wildlife species. It represents a wider industry comprising the canned markets, the fresh (sashimi) and the frozen market. The canned Tuna market represents a $15 BILLION dollar industry. Harvesting of the canned Tuna species has raised significant ecological issues and concerns related with economic and environmental sustainability (WWF n.p). The purpose of this report is to evaluate the sustainability of the canned Tuna harvest, both in terms of maintaining healthy sustainable populations of tuna and impacts to other organisms. Types of canned tuna species There are more than 48 types of tuna species in the world. The most commonly canned species of the tuna fish include the Albacore Tuna/Long fin tuna, the yellow fish tuna species and the skipjack tuna species (Miyake et al. 85). The following section provides information regarding the biological species, habitat, trade name, fishing methods and their related advantages and disadvantages and the sustainability of the various canned tuna species. Albacore Tuna/Long fin tuna The scientific name for the Albacore tuna is the Thunnus Alalunga. It is a large fish, which is 5 feet long and weights approximately 100 pounds. It is identified by a dark blue color running on its top and a silvery while strip covering its underbelly. The fish is found in the tropical and temperate oceans. The specific locations of the species include the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. According to the sustainable canned tuna website, the Albacore Tuna is the most abundant and popular species of the canned fish because of its ability to survive in huge amounts in the temperate and tropical oceans. The trade name of the canned Albacore fish is the white meat tuna (Hilderbrand, 1-3). Skipjack tuna The scientific name for the canned skipjack tuna is the katsuwonus Pelamis. It is a streamlined fish of medium size with a maximum length of about 3 feet long. Research evidence indicates that the canned skipjack tuna fish contains a high concentration of mercury thus making it not suitable for excessive consumption by pregnant women and young children. The canned skipjack tuna is found at the surface of tropical oceanic waters. The trade name for the skipjack tuna fish is the light meat tuna. Methods of harvest The Albacore tuna for cunning purposes caught using the surface troll method. According to the goodfishbadfish website (n.p), sustainable Albacore fisheries emphasize on the use of the pole and line harvesting technique. The yellow fin tuna and the skipjack are harvested using the long line fishing, the pole and line method and the purse seine fishing method (Caracalla 5). Advantages and disadvantages of the tuna fishing methods There are several methods for harvesting the tuna fish for home consumption and the canned market industry. Proper fishing methods are likely to lead to a sustainable fish market while improper fishing methods may have adverse effects on the available stocks of the Tuna fish due to overfishing and degradation of the environment such as the use of chemicals, dredging and explosives. It is important for consumers to be aware of the various ways in which the tuna fish are caught and to ensure that they consume only the tuna fish that comes from fisheries that practice sustainable breading, stocking and harvesting methods. The following section examines the advantages and disadvantages of four of the most commonly used harvesting methods for the canned tuna fish species. The pole and line method This is the most commonly used and sustainable method of harvesting the tuna fish for commercial canning purposes. Several fishermen use fishing poles to capture and harvest the tuna fish. The technique uses a pole and a long line with a lure or bait attached to its far end. The bait attracts the tuna fish, which is then caught by the hook thus enabling the fishermen to bring it to the surface of the ocean. The main advantage of this method is that it is environmentally and ecologically sustainable. This method only captures the targeted mature tuna fish, does not result into excessive by catch and has little or no adverse impact on the oceanic ecosystem. In addition to this, it is possible to return any by-catch to the ocean quickly with minimum or no harm (goodfishbadfish n.p). Magudia (n.p) observes that the pole and line fishing method is the only sustainable way of preserving the aquatic ecosystem, survival of the tuna fish and ensuring continued supply of the canned tuna into the market. However, this method is tedious and strenuous and may not be suitable when harvesting huge volumes of tuna for commercial purposes (Canned tuna n.p). Surface troll method The surface troll is another commonly used method of harvesting of the tuna fish. This technique uses several rigs with lines that drag lures and hooks under the sea using trolling boats. The trolling boat moves on the surface of the ocean, identifies the school of tuna fish and drops the rigs. This method is advantageous because of three reasons. Firstly, it captures adequate amounts of tuna fish at a short period. Secondly, the hooks and lures are strong and durable thus enabling the fishermen to reuse them for a longer period. Thirdly, it enables the fishermen to bring the tuna fish to the surface quickly thus enabling them to return any unwanted fish to the ocean. The main disadvantage of this method is that it may promote overfishing. However, this method is sustainable because it does not result into huge amounts of by-catch (Wild planet n.p). The purse seine fishing method The purse seine fishing technique is the last and mostly discouraged method of harvesting the tuna fish. According to the canned tuna website, this method uses a wide net that is hauled by a large ship. The only advantage of this method is that it enables the fishermen to capture huge quantities of the tuna fish for commercial purposes within a short period. It is also a less tedious and economical technique for harvesting tuna fish. However, this method is the most disastrous, indiscriminative fishing technique and unsustainable fishing technique. This is because it results into the capture of other fish apart from the tuna, which are often discarded as by-batch. The use of the fish aggregation devices (FAD’s) often result into the capture of dolphins, sharks, turtles and young tuna fish which often die after being removed from the ocean (Greenpeace 1). This type of fishing is unsuitable and leads to the depletion of the tuna population and other organisms in the aquatic ecosystem (Wild planet n.p). The WWF position paper also argues that the FAD’s are unsustainable and a threat to the ocean environment. Ecological sustainability of the Tuna fish According to the Greenpeace international, the tuna species are experiencing possible extinction threats due to overconsumption, which results into the depletion of available stocks and excessive fishing because of the use of unsustainable fishing technology that affects other organisms in the marine environment. Currently the Albacore Tuna is not under threat of extinction due to the availability of sustainable fishing methods and stock management practices. However, according to the sustainable canned tuna website, the use of unsustainable fishing and harvesting methods are threatening the sustainability of the Albacore tuna fish and the entire ocean ecosystem. Individuals and organizational consumers are advised to purchase and consume Albacore fish that has been harvested using only sustainable methods such as the use of the pole and line techniques. Information regarding certified and sustainable fisheries, which use the appropriate harvesting and stock management techniques, can be obtained from the Marine Stewardship Council website. The organization promotes sustainable fishing by recognizing and rewarding individuals and organizations that use sustainable fishing methods and practices, influencing the buying decisions of consumers for the seafood and encouraging partner organizations to promote development of a sustainable seafood market and industry. The yellow fin tuna species have been on the decline due to overfishing and the use of poor fishing methods, which are unsustainable. According to the sustainable canned tuna website, the yellow fin tuna are under threat of extinction due to excessive consumption and unsustainable fishing practices. The use of the long line and purse seine harvesting technique causes stress to the yellow fin tuna species and disrupts the normal ocean environment and ecosystem thus threatening the survival of the fish. According to the Greenpeace international website (n.p), in order to ensure the ecological sustainability of the yellow fish, the following recommendations are worth being considered: There is need for effective management of the stocks of the yellow fish. There is need for support of fishing methods that are both sustainable and equitable. There is need for consumers to purchase canned fish that has been harvested using sustainable methods only. There is need for consumers and other partners to support conservation and preservation initiatives for the yellow fin tuna. According to the American association of the advancement of science (n.p), the canned skipjack tuna is the most stable and sustainable fish. This is because of its high reproductively and fast growth rate making it the most popular fish in commercial hatcheries and canned fish markets. However, according to the sustainable canned tuna website, harvesting the skipjack tuna fish using the purse seine method is not sustainable because it kills other aquatic species such as the turtles, sharks and small tuna fish. This is a serious threat to the sustainability of the canned skipjack fish and the marine environment. In order to ensure sustainability of the tuna fish, consumers are advised to purchase canned tuna that was harvested using the pole and line method or those that are harvested by fisheries, which are certified and recognized by the Marine Stewardship Council. Works Cited American association of advancement of science. Tuna stocks at the edge of sustainability, 5 ` Dec. 2011. Web. 3 April 2014< http://news.sciencemag.org/2011/12/tuna-stocks-edge-` sustainability> Canned tuna: A guide to healthy and sustainable tuna: how tuna fish are caught, 2014. Web. 3 ` April 2014 Caracalla, Viale delle Terme. Globefish research programme: World tuna markets. Vol. 74. 3 ` April 2014. Goodfishbadfish: seafood and sustainability: fishing techniques, 2014. Web. ` http://goodfishbadfish.com.au/?page_id=31 Greenpeace. Sustainability in canned tuna, 2012. Web. 3 April 2014 Greenpeace international. Tuna, 2014. Web. 3 April 2014 ` Hilderbrand, Kingstone. Albacore tuna: A quality guide for the off-the-dock purchasers, 2007. ` Print. Magudia, Rosie. How pole and line fishing enables sustainability in the tuna market. The ` guardian professional, 30 August 2013. Web. 3 April 2014` ` Marine Stewardship Council: Certified sustainable seafood, web. 3 April 2014. ` ` Miyake, Makoto, Patrice, Guillotreau, Chin-Hwa, Sun and Gakushi, Ishimura. Recent ` developments in the tuna industry: Stocks, fisheries, management, processing, trade and ` markets. Food and Agricultural Organization, 2010. Print. Sustainable canned tuna: A complete guide to equitable and sustainable canned tuna. 3 April ` 2014 Wild planet. Sustainably caught wild seafood: sustainability and fishing methods, 2014. Web. 3 ` April 2014 World Wildlife Fund (WWF). Threats: overfishing, 2014. Web. 3 April 2014 WWF position paper. WWF statement on fish aggregation devices (fads) in tuna fisheries. 3 ` April 2014 ` Read More