With the advent of eco-friendly awareness amongst consumers, the Industry for environmentally sustainable canned tuna is increasing steadily. The eco-friendly production of tuna was adopted due to overfishing concerns, bycatch, and the overall degradation of the marine ecosystem. Canned Tuna Industry growth is driven by sustainability, and it has become a key factor guiding industry practices and consumer purchasing decisions.
What Role Does Sustainability Play in Growing Portions of the Industry?
The demand for canned tuna Industry was estimated to value US$18.7 billion in 2022. The Industry is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 4.5% from 2023 up to 2030. This interest is influenced by the growing concern over the usage of sustainable practices in fishing, which forces retailers and brands to increase the offerings of responsibly harvested tuna. Super Industry chains like Tesco and Whole Foods have pledged to only sell sustainably harvested tuna. Wild Planet and Safe Catch, on the other hand, use pole-and-line and FAD-free fishing to target environmentally concerned consumers. Sustainability is becoming increasingly pivotal for a company’s survival in a world that is focused on green practices.
Fishing With Purpose: Effortless Evolution of Marine Conservation
Methods of fishing that were used traditionally primarily to catch tuna fish bore more adverse effects than benefits. A plethora of companies today use and employ pole-and-line fishing in addition to FAD-free methods to mitigate unwanted catches and promote healthy sea life. For instance, the Thai Union Group, a notable seafood manufacturer, promised to sustainably catch all privately branded tuna whales by the year 2025. This further supports the effort made by the industry towards marine conservation.
Important Certifications: Guaranteeing Ethical Sourcing
Responsible farmed fish purchases should be made with proper care. One should search for three prominent certificates that confirm proper fishing ethics and practices: MSC (Marine Stewardship Council), Dolphin Safe Certification, and others.
Tuna that has been tested under MSC is consumed the same day it is caught in order to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for sustainability from John West and Bumble Bee brands. These brands prove trustworthiness by incorporating these certifications, and they tend to increase sales.
Taking on Overfishing: What Needs to be Altered
As a result of overfishing, many species of tuna are near extinction. The Pacific Bluefin tuna is also one of the species that suffered due to excessive harvesting, where its population reached below 10%, with less than 6% Pacific Bluefin remaining. It is estimated that around 70 million tons of tuna are exported and harvested from the ocean every year. To reverse the situation, what was once unrestricted catching is now being regulated with a larger focus on environmental conservation and reinforcing the fish quota policies. Business executives have the opportunity to select from a range of potential fishing methods in source regions to replenish stock.
How the Industry is Changing Due to Customer Requirements?
The customers are targeting and wanting to attain the necessary sustainable packaging material that is used during transportation, stricter guidelines on the contents included on the product label, and also sustainability on the product's stylish package. Rio Mare is also on board with this advancement and has released tuna in disposable recyclable cans with QR codes, allowing clients to track the place of origin of the fish extracted. It is no shock that in order to sell these products, one must make them eco-friendly, as failure to do so would greatly decrease sales.
The Next Steps for Eco-Friendly Tuna
But with improvements in management in fisheries, innovations in the control of bycatch, and advancements in packing processes, the tuna fishery has claimed more eco-friendlier practices. Businesses that employ these strategies are leaders in the Industry, and with their resource management practices, they create positive impacts for the environment.
A Small Narrative, A Big Narrative!
Weather, social, and environmental sustainability are no longer optional factors: it is no longer possible to ignore the suffering of our oceans and ecosystems. It is now compulsory to consider ethical fishing and eco-friendly tuna brands. How will sustainable choices “next time you start thinking of making cans of tuna” have profound consequences, not just for your health but for the entire world and marine life in particular?
