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[1] Yellowfin tuna, also known as ahi (photo © Anh Tuan To | Unsplash).
[2] Bluefin tuna (photo © Vital Choice).
[3] Tuna is caught and flash-frozen. These bluefins are ready for purchase at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo (photo © David Dibert | Pexels).
[4] American Tuna is available with sea salt, salt-free, garlic, jalapeño, and in the photo, smoked tuna (photo © American Tuna).
[5] Fishwife tuna is available in regular or spicy olive oil or lemon-flavored (photo © Fishwife Tinned Seafood Co.).
[6] Ocean Naturals offers albacore and yellowfin tuna in both solid and ventresca‡‡ [tuna belly] (photo © Ocean Naturals). Also see photo #16 below.
[7] Scout has cans of albacore, albacore in pesto, and smoked albacore, and some great flavored seafood snacks—see photo #13 (photo © Good Eggs).
[8] The Tonnino line has premium fillets in water or olive oil, ventresca‡‡ [tuna belly], plus flavors we love: capers and sundried tomatoes, garlic, jalapeño, lemon and papper, and oregano (photo © Tonnino).
[9] Wild Planet’s line includes albacore and skipjack in cans, jars, single-serve pouches, flavors (Dill Pickle, Jalapeño & Cumin) and a variety of ready-to-eat meals (photo #14) with beans, grains, and pasta (photos #9 and #14 © Wild Planet Foods).
[10] Marine Stewardship Council logo.
[11] Aquaculture Stewardship Council logo.
[12] Fishery Improvement Projects logo.
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World Tuna Day, May 2nd, highlights the importance of doing what we can to manage the wild tuna* supply to maintain sustainability.
World Tuna Day was declared in 2017 by the United Nations, to focus on conserving the world’s tuna stocks.
Tuna is one of the most important fish species. While shrimp consistently ranks as America’s most consumed seafood by volume, salmon and tuna vie for second and third place.
Where would we be without tuna? It’s easy for each of us to play a small part in renewable tuna—i.e. not depleting the resources.
Here are some practical ways you can enjoy tuna while helping to maintain supplies and supporting the ocean environment.
BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR CERTIFICATIONS
Start with an awareness of sustainable certifications for the fish you purchase, whether at a market or in a restaurant.
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) indicates that the tuna was caught using sustainable fishing methods (image #10).
The Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certifies responsibly farmed seafood (image #11).
Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) indicate fisheries that are working toward sustainability (image #12).
Restaurants that purchase certified sustainable seafood will so note it on their menus.
There are also programs that can help you identify restaurants committed to sustainable seafood:
Seafood Watch Restaurant Partners comprises restaurants that have committed to avoiding “red-listed” seafood.
Smart Catch is a James Beard Foundation program that certifying restaurants that serve sustainable seafood.
Ocean Wise, a Canadian program that is expanding, similarly identifies restaurants serving sustainable options.
Some fish may lack certifications, but offer you other affirmations of environmental sustainability.
Pole And Line Caught is another indication you may find with albacore, bigeye, blackfin tuna, skipjack, yellowfin tuna. Pole and line fishing is a traditional method that allows fishermen to target specific species and sizes while minimizing both bycatch‡ of other marine life and reducing damage to marine ecosystems.
Troll-Caught Fishing, also known as hook and line caught, is another sustainable option. Fishing vessels move slowly through the water pulling (trolling) multiple fishing lines with lures or hooks. When tunas bite the lures, they’re individually hauled onboard. Albacore, bigeye, and yellowfin can be caught this way.
As with pole and line caught, the troll-caught method is highly selective, targeting specific species and sizes. It causes little or no damage to marine habitats, and typically has a lower carbon footprint than large industrial fishing operations.
AT FRESH FISH MARKETS & COUNTERS
When buying fresh fish, look for the certifications and methods and certifications above.
[13] Scout Seafood Snacks are grab-and-go, with a spoon included, in Chili Crisp, Chile Jalapeño Crisp, Za’atar Crisp (photo © Scout Canning but best inventory is on Amazon).
ON STORE SHELVES: SUSTAINABLE TINNED TUNA BRANDS
Look for sustainably caught and processed tuna. The number of brands keeps growing due to consumer demand.
In alphabetical order:
American Tuna is MSC-certified, and pole-caught by small U.S. fishing vessels (photo #4).
Fishwife is premium tinned fish focused on sustainable sourcing and transparent supply chains (photo #5).
Ocean Naturals sources from fisheries with improving sustainability practices (FIPs—photo #6).
Raincoast Trading, a Canadian company with MSC certification.
Safe Catch, pole and troll caught, tests every fish for mercury content.
Scout is MSC-certified with a sustainability focus, innovative flavors (chili crisp, jalapeño, za’atar) and grab-and-go snack packs (photos #7 and #10).
Tonnino, tuna in glass jars is committed to sustainable sourcing and has a great selection of flavors beyond olive oil and water packed (photo #8).
Wild Planet: Uses pole-and-line caught tuna with no FADs (photos #9 and #14).
Store Brands with Sustainable Options
365 By Whole Foods offers pole-caught options with sustainability commitments.
Natural Value, found at Walmart and elsewhere, has FAD*-free options at accessible price points.
[14] Wild Planet’s grab-and-go meals can be enjoyed heated or at room temperature.
BIG-BRAND SUSTAINABLE CANNED TUNA
To meet consumer demand, the major brands have also introduced sustainable product lines. Look for:
Bumble Bee Wild Selections, which has MSC certification.
Chicken of the Sea Trace My Catch, a transparency program.
StarKist has some MSC-certified products, and aims to purchase 100% of its tuna and salmon from MSC-certified fisheries by the end of 2026.
DOWNLOAD THE SEAFOOD WATCH APP
Seafood Watch will guide you to make responsible seafood choices. The information is constantly updated to indicate sustainable seafood by region.
There is also a sushi guide and guides in Spanish.
Download the app at the App Store, or download and print paper guides here.
CANNED TUNA SUBSTITUTES
At a restaurant, if you want to curtail your tuna consumption, there are other choices on the menu.
What about canned tuna?
Reducing overall tuna consumption helps decrease pressure on wild populations. While many people have been brought up to choose solid white or chunk white tuna, skipjack, which is usually labeled “light” tuna, is a more sustainable choice.
We actually prefer the more robust-flavored skipjack to the milder white albacore.
Bonus: Skipjack has significantly lower mercury levels than albacore.
Note that in the U.S., F.D.A. regulations permit only albacore can be labeled as “white tuna.”
All other tuna species must be labeled “light tuna,” even if their meat has a relatively light color (like some yellowfin).
Beyond Skipjack
If you eat a lot of canned tuna and you don’t want to cut back on your fish consumption, there are other choices to try that still provide convenience-in-a-can.
In alphabetical order:
Anchovies: intense flavor, good in salads and pasta dishes.
Cod and haddock (white fish): milder flavor, can be chopped into salad, eaten on sandwiches.
Herring: bold flavor, good in hearty salads, on bagels-crackers-toast with cream cheese, and warm dishes from eggs to fish cakes and pasta. You can also buy jars of refrigerated herring in wine sauce or cream sauce.
Mackerel: slightly stronger flavor than tuna, excellent for fish cakes or patties.
Salmon: higher in omega-3s, works as tuna does in salads and sandwiches, fish cakes, and mixed into pasta as well.
Sardines: very nutritious, good in pasta, salads, or on toast; can be chopped/mashed into a spreads.
Trout: milder flavor than tuna, a good substitute in most tuna recipes.
Plus:
Canned chicken: not as nutritious as fish, but it’s texturally similar.
[15] Sometimes you just want a high-protein, high-omega-3 snack. This is a can of Ocean Naturals Albacore Ventresca (tuna belly) in Olive Oil with Piquillo Peppers.
> Check out the different types of tuna in our Tuna Glossary.
> Enjoy even more in our Fish & Seafood Glossary.
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*Most tuna is wild-caught, not farmed, because of the size of the fish. However, some preliminary development is underway in Japan to breeding of Pacific bluefin tuna in captivity.
†FAD is an acronym for Fish Aggregating Device, a floating man-made object designed to attract fish to a specific location, making them easier to catch.
‡Bycatch refers to marine animals (dolphins, fish, sea turtles, etc.) that are caught unintentionally while fishing for a different species. These animals are often discarded as they are not part of the desired catch or cannot be sold legally.
‡‡Ventresca is the fatty belly portion of the tuna, typically from albacore or yellowfin, and is usually canned in olive oil. It is the “gourmet” end of canned tuna. It is similar to toro, also the fatty belly of bluefin (or other) tuna used in sushi and sashimi. The difference is that ventresca is usually preserved, and from albacore or yellowfin; while toro is fresh, raw, and from bluefin tuna.
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