Tuna are one of the most popular and coveted fish species consumed around the world. Their dense, flaky meat makes them a versatile protein used in everything from sushi and sandwiches to salads and tacos But our insatiable appetite for tuna comes at a steep cost – overfishing has led to plummeting populations and increasing numbers of tuna killed each year. So how many of these magnificent ocean predators are losing their lives annually? The statistics are staggering.
A Massive Number Killed Annually
Globally, it’s estimated that around 7 million metric tons of tuna are caught annually. To put that into perspective, that’s over 15 billion pounds of tuna extracted from our oceans every single year. This accounts for a full 20% of the total value of all marine fisheries worldwide – an astounding figure that demonstrates humanity’s reliance on tuna as a food source.
In the United States alone, around 1 billion pounds of tuna is purchased by consumers each year. That translates to about 2.2 million tuna killed annually just to satisfy America’s hunger for tuna melts, salads, and sandwiches.
Unlike smaller fish that are counted by individual numbers, the massive scale of the tuna fishing industry means these fish are quantified by weight. Their lives are reduced to a pound of flesh that eventually ends up in cans, pouches, and supermarket freezer aisles across the country.
Devastating Impacts on Tuna Populations
This huge demand is taking an immense toll on tuna populations. Scientists estimate that bluefin tuna numbers have declined by a catastrophic 97% globally since 1950. Atlantic bluefin populations have fallen by more than 50% in the last 40 years. Over 65% of all tuna species are now at risk of extinction.
The Most Endangered Tuna Species
The increasing rarity of tuna means that every population of these remarkable fish requires protection. However, some tuna species are facing more imminent threats than others
Southern Bluefin Tuna
- Found in southern oceans near Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and South America
- Severely overfished in the wild, with global populations sitting at just 5% of historic levels
- Most of the Southern bluefin caught today are juveniles that have no chance to reproduce and replenish their numbers
Atlantic Bluefin Tuna
- Found in both the western and eastern Atlantic ocean, migrating across the ocean over their lifespans
- Populations have declined by a catastrophic 72-82% globally since 1970
- They grow slowly, taking years to reach sexual maturity. Their late reproduction combined with rampant overfishing has decimated wild stocks
Bigeye Tuna
- Found across tropical and temperate oceans worldwide
- A key food source for other predators like sharks and marine mammals
- Stocks are rapidly declining, with an estimated 51% decrease over the last 40 years due to overfishing
Yellowfin Tuna
- Found in warmer oceans in tropical and subtropical waters globally
- Classified as near threatened, with many regional populations overexploited
- Purse seine fishing accounts for over 75% of yellowfin catches, often with high bycatch of other marine life
As these examples illustrate, tuna species around the world are under immense pressure. If current rates of fishing continue unabated, we face the very real risk of losing tuna species forever.
Bycatch – The Slaughter of Marine Life Alongside Tuna
In addition to the shocking numbers of tuna killed each year, bycatch is another major concern. Bycatch refers to the untargeted catch of other marine animals like sharks, sea turtles, dolphins, and whales. Massive drift gillnets and longlines used to catch tuna inadvertently trap countless other ocean dwellers.
It’s estimated that the tuna fishing industry accounts for over 300,000 marine mammals, 250,000 seabirds, and millions of sharks accidentally caught and killed as bycatch every single year. Gillnets alone trap and drown over 20,000 sharks per day in our oceans.
This indiscriminate slaughter of oceanic life alongside tuna takes an enormous toll on fragile marine ecosystems. Many of the animal populations impacted are already threatened or endangered, putting added pressure on their survival.
Reducing bycatch is a massive challenge in the tuna fishing industry. Various solutions like changes to gear types, modifications to fishing practices, and spatial closures show promise in lessening the carnage. But presently, bycatch remains a very serious concern.
The Dangers for Tuna Fishing Workers
Not only are tuna populations threatened by overfishing, but human lives are also endangered. Tuna fishing is one of the most hazardous professions, with crews frequently operating far offshore on the high seas for months at a time.
In the U.S. distant water tuna fleet, workers are 226 times more likely to die on the job compared to the average American worker. Fatalities result from falls overboard, vessel disasters, heavy equipment mishaps, and more. From 2006-2012 alone, the small American tuna fleet witnessed 14 deaths and 20 serious injuries.
These outrageous safety risks illustrate the lengths crews will go to in order to bring tuna to our tables. But no seafood meal is worth the lives of hard-working fishers. Improved training, mandated safety measures, and stricter regulation of working conditions are urgently needed to protect those who work in the global tuna industry.
The Need for Sustainable Fishing Practices
It’s clear that the status quo of rampant overfishing is destroying tuna populations and threatening the entire marine ecosystem. So how do we safeguard tuna for generations to come while still supporting the livelihoods of those who fish these waters?
Sustainable fishing practices are the key. Approaches like rights-based fishery management, science-based catch quotas, gear modifications, spatial planning, and international cooperation can help achieve a balance between conservation and fishing.
Consumers also need to make responsible seafood choices. Opting for pole and line caught skipjack or yellowfin from approved sustainable fisheries allows us to enjoy tuna while supporting better fishing practices. Certifications like “Dolphin Safe” and the MSC “Blue Tick” make it easier to identify responsibly caught tuna at the supermarket.
With improved management and more mindful consumption, we can shelter tuna and other ocean life. If we don’t act now, humanity faces losing tuna and all the wonder they bring beneath the waves. The choice is ours to make.
IUU fishing among the drivers of alarming death rate and extensive injuries among fishers
- A study found that more than 100,000 people die each year while fishing (PDF).
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Note from the editor: This brief was updated on December 14, 2022, to better show how much Pacific marine catch is not reported.
Many years ago, fishing was thought to be one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. But a new study by the FISH Safety Foundation, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts, shows that the problem is much worse than was thought before. According to this research, more than 100,000 fishing-related deaths occur each year—three to four times previous estimates. 1: Abuse and serious injuries, like child labor and decompression sickness (caused by workers having to do repeated deep dives to catch lobster), are also well known to happen in the sector.
While fishing is always a risk, this study brings to light the harsh truth that many of these deaths could have been and still could be avoided. Incredibly, few were even officially recorded. One big problem is that safety rules aren’t followed, but the study also finds that other big problems come together to make people risk their lives and die on the water. These factors include a lack of fish because of illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfishing, and climate change. For many fishers, poverty and food insecurity make them even more desperate, which drives them to engage in IUU fishing. The study shows that these deaths and injuries mostly happen to poor people, including children, in low-income countries. This is a big reason why they aren’t talked about more often.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) says that fish and other marine animals provide a lot of protein for more than 3 billion people. This number is expected to rise. 2 As the world’s demand for seafood rises, fishing could become even more dangerous if the community doesn’t demand and enforce safer methods and hold fisheries managers accountable.
African countries face costly IUU and overfishing
There are about 1,000 deaths per 100,000 fishers in the 22 African states that are part of the Ministerial Conference on Fisheries Cooperation Among African States Bordering the Atlantic Ocean every year. This is more than 12 times the rate that the FAO used for its most recent estimate of fisher deaths around the world. The region is a hotbed of IUU fishing, carried out by both distant-water and local fleets. The European Union IUU Fishing Coalition estimates that illegal fishing accounts for US$2. 3 billion worth of fish in the waters of just six West African countries, which has hurt more than 300,000 jobs in the industry. 5.
The high death rate among fishermen in the area is caused by deaths in the large artisanal fleet, whose boats lack safety, navigation, and communication gear, and by industrial vessels fishing close to shore, which usually doesn’t happen on purpose. Six more things that make fishing in this area dangerous and deadly for fishers are overfishing and climate change, which both lower the number of fish in the area’s waters and make fishers spend more time at sea.
A Senegalese fisher helps guide a boat ashore. A lot of fisherman are dying in West Africa. This is partly because the government isn’t keeping an eye on things and partly because many boats have to go farther out to sea to find enough fish than they used to. The Pew Charitable Trusts.
As much as half of Madagascar’s catch may come from illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Indian Ocean off the coast of that country. Only one in five artisanal fishing canoes is registered with the government. This means that a lot of illegal activities happen in this fleet that aren’t reported. 7.
At the same time, for an annual fee, the government of Madagascar has let 28 large industrial Chinese ships fish in local waters without a formal license. This is possible because they can fly the Malagasy flag instead of the foreign flag, which lets them avoid the duties that normally come with fishing on a foreign vessel. 8 At the same time, overfishing has led to a drop in the numbers of octopus, tuna, and roughy in the area, which hurts coastal communities that are already struggling. Local fishermen have lost money because there are fewer fish to catch, and they have had to go farther out to sea, which makes them less safe and increases the number of deaths.
Meet the bluefin tuna, the toughest fish in the sea – Grantly Galland and Raiana McKinney
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