World Tuna Day

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 i...

The FAO's  Common Oceans Tuna project aims to ensure that all major tuna stocks are fished at sustainable levels by 2027 , supporting more responsible tuna fisheries and biodiversity conservation . The project has developed a new e-learning course series : Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries and stepped up training to meet growing demand for capacity-building, as adoption of management procedures expands worldwide. It also promotes innovative electronic monitoring and traceability systems , alongside more eco friendly fishing practices . The data is encouraging. Out of the 23 tuna stocks, only two stocks are still subject to overfishing according to the latest numbers.