Rays of hope for sustainable tuna.

In the past, rising global demand for tuna put growing pressure on fisheries. In regions where management systems were fragmented or insufficient, this led to overfishing of some tuna stocks.

However, since the United Nations General Assembly designated May 2nd as World Tuna Day nine years ago to highlight the importance of responsible tuna fishing, significant progress has been made: In 2017, only 75% of the tuna catch came from healthy stocks free of overfishing; Today, it is estimated that 99% of commercial tuna catches come from stocks that are scientifically assessed to be biologically sustainable. For instance, Atlantic Bluefin tuna, once absent, are now common again in southern England and Ireland. This recovery is thanks to coordinated efforts by governments through the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations. Their success stems from adopting management procedures. These are rules agreed upon by scientists, managers, and fishers before fishing begins. It is also driven by improved monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS), including electronic monitoring, and investment in scientific training and data quality.