Yellowfin tuna Archives - Saving Seafood

Pacific bluefin tuna will get some help as countries agree to new harvest strategy

September 14, 2026 — The annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded on Sept. 4 with an agreement to adopt a long-term harvest strategy for Pacific bluefin tuna. The agreement aims to ensure sustainable management of this species, which has only recently recovered after decades of overfishing. But the commission fell short of establishing a harvest strategy for other tuna species — bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin — managed under the convention.

“A proposal was adopted … and that’s really great progress,” Dave Gershman, a senior officer for international fisheries at the U.S.-based think tank The Pew Charitable Trusts, who took part in the meeting as an observer, told Mongabay.

The commission approved the plan for Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) after 10 years of research and mediation. The plan establishes science-based rules to support the stock’s complete recovery and long-term protection while taking into account impacts on the broader ecosystem. “You want to have these things in place when times are good so it’s there when you need it,” Gershman said.

The 104th meeting of the IATTC took place in Lisbon from Aug. 31 to Sept. 4. One of five main regional fishery management organizations (RFMOs) responsible for tuna and tuna-like species, the commission is tasked with managing six tuna stocks, associated species and their ecosystems throughout the Eastern Pacific Ocean, from Canada south to Chile.

Read the full article at Mongabay

Atlantic tuna, swordfish and shark fisheries see mixed outlook

September 9, 2026 — Commercial fishermen from New England to the Southeast are seeing a mixed picture across Atlantic highly migratory species, with several major tuna and swordfish stocks remaining in relatively strong conditions while some shark stocks continue to face rebuilding challenges.

NOAA Fisheries released its 2024- 2025 Stock Assessment and Fishery Evaluation Report for Atlantic Highly Migratory Species on Sept. 4, providing an updated look at tunas, swordfish, billfish, and sharks managed along the East Coast, Gulf, and Caribbean.

For fishermen, the report offers more than a snapshot of stock health. It also shows where commercial landings and revenues are moving, including a notable decline in overall highly migratory species revenue in 2024.

Tuna stocks show some of the stronger signs

Among the major commercial species, North Atlantic albacore remained well above its biomass target and was not considered overfished or subject to overfishing. Atlantic yellowfin and western Atlantic skipjack were also classified as not overfished, with overfishing not occurring.

The picture is less straightforward for bluefin.

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

Less than a year into the ban, is NOAA’s MMPA comparability finding having the intended impact?

August 25, 2026 — On January 1st, 2026, NOAA Fisheries implemented new import prohibitions under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), banning seafood imports that failed a comparability finding. According to the findings, 240 fisheries from 46 countries failed to adequately protect marine mammals and were subsequently blocked from exporting their products to the U.S. Eight months later, this policy is noticeably affecting companies that produce the now-banned products. But the impact on the water is more difficult to measure and may not be going as NOAA intended.

I purchase seafood for a U.S.-based importing company that specializes in sushi ingredients. We recently visited a yellowfin tuna first receiver and processor near Tuy Hòa, Vietnam, and asked how operations have changed since the import ban on January 1st. This company processes yellowfin tuna for raw consumption, exporting “sashimi-grade” products to Europe, Japan, China, and its largest market, the U.S. Some of the raw material is handline-caught from a nearby fishery improvement project. This fishing method met the comparability study standards and has not been banned. But when handline fishing is slow, as it has been in recent years, fishers deploy gillnets to boost their catch. NOAA’s comparability findings determined that yellowfin tuna caught using gillnets do not meet MMPA standards and therefore can no longer be imported when caught in Vietnamese fisheries.

Read the full article at Sustainable Fisheries UW

Indian Ocean tuna regulator eases yellowfin fishing curbs amid sustainability concerns

May 22, 2026 — An annual meeting of the regulatory body overseeing the tuna fishery across the Indian Ocean has agreed to update the rules governing one of the region’s most iconic species: yellowfin tuna.

The easing of fishing curbs can be traced to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s (IOTC) scientific body finding that Thunnus albacares stocks aren’t overfished, nor are they currently experiencing overfishing in the Indian Ocean. The body first made the determination in 2024, but the finding underwent an internal review process before being accepted by the commission at its recent meeting in the Maldives. The meeting held in May was attended by delegates from coastal nations in Asia, Africa and Oceania, as well as distant-water fishing powers like Japan and the European Union.

Now, that scientific advice has translated into a reframing of the management rules, provoking sharply divided reactions. Conservationists are urging caution, citing the long history of yellowfin overfishing and the difficulties in monitoring and curbing overexploitation. Industry representatives, meanwhile, hailed the decision, saying it secures access to one of the region’s most lucrative tuna fisheries.

At the meeting in the Maldives, parties agreed on a total allowable catch (TAC) and quotas for contracting members for the period from 2027-2028. In doing so, the IOTC became the first tuna regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) to implement catch allocation systems for all three tropical tuna species under its management: yellowfin, skipjack and bigeye.

The IOTC adopted its first yellowfin rebuilding plan in 2016, on the back of scientific evidence that the stock was being fished at unsustainable levels. The measures mandated reductions in catches aimed at rebuilding the stocks, but didn’t impose a total catch limit or define a fixed limit for each member.

A decade later, with the scientific committee concluding that the status of T. albacares has improved, the focus of the negotiations turned toward distributing fishing opportunities.

Read the full article at Mongabay

An Overview of Tuna and its Sustainability in 2025

August 6, 2025 — Tuna is the third most consumed seafood in the United States. It’s eaten fresh, frozen, or in shelf-stable condition. It can be enjoyed on a budget or served in the most expensive fine dining restaurants. But how sustainable is tuna in 2025?

Like most seafood questions, tuna sustainability is full of nuance. The answer depends on which of the five species of tuna you’re eating, how it was caught, and where it came from.

This post gives an overview of tuna consumption and sustainability to help you make informed choices for your next trip down the canned tuna aisle or the next reservation at your favorite sushi restaurant.

Read the full article at Sustainable Fisheries UW

Latest ISSF report shows its members holding fast on commitment to sustainable tuna

July 23, 2025 — The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) recently released its annual compliance report, showing that during 2024, the 24 ISSF participating companies managed a 99.6 percent conformance rate.

The nonprofit organization tracks conformance across 33 different conservation measures, which range from submitting quarterly purchase data and only conducting transactions with purse-seine vessels that have received information on best practices for reducing bycatch from ISSF.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

NOAA Fisheries intercepted illegal tuna shipment destined for US grocery chain

June 3, 2025 — NOAA Fisheries has fined a U.S. grocery chain USD 12,516 (EUR 10,961) for illegally importing yellowfin tuna.

According to the agency, NOAA Fisheries’ Office of Law Enforcement collaborated with Virginia Conservation Police and U.S. Customs and Border Protection on a joint inspection of a container shipment at the Centralized Examination Station in Chesapeake, Virginia, U.S.A. Inside, law enforcement found more than 1,100 pounds of jarred yellowfin tuna with a declared value of USD 4,889 (EUR 4,281) destined for a grocery store chain.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Climate change is robbing Pacific islands of another resource: Tuna

February 19, 2025 — Fourteen Pacific island nations will receive $107 million to adapt their tuna-dependent economies as climate change pushes the fish farther from their shores, the Green Climate Fund announced Tuesday.

The fund’s largest grant-only project to date, the money will be used to create an advanced warning system to enable Pacific island nations to track changes in tuna migration and potentially pursue compensation when warming waters drive the fish from these countries’ exclusive economic zones.

“These are the countries that contribute the least to the climate crisis and now are going to lose a resource that they have collectively stewarded better than any other ocean basin,” said Jack Kittinger, senior vice president at Conservation International, the Arlington, Virginia-based nonprofit environmental organization that led the research behind the grant. “This is the ultimate climate justice issue.”

Read the full article at The Washington Post

The Truth About Tuna

September 30, 2024 — Ahi steak. Akami sashimi. Albacore on sourdough. Whether you smoked yellowfin on the grill or spread skipjack on a sandwich, chances are you’ve had tuna recently.

On average, Americans eat around two pounds of the fish per year, more than any other seafood except for shrimp and salmon. And for good reason: Tuna is tasty and versatile, and the canned variety costs as little as a dollar.

But is it good for you? Should you be worried about its mercury content? And what about the health of our oceans? Here’s what to know before you pop open that next can for lunch.

Is tuna healthy?

Tuna is about as nutritious as a food can be.

It’s packed with protein, minerals and vitamins, said Chris Vogliano, a dietitian and research director at the educational nonprofit Food and Planet. It has more selenium than just about any other meat. It’s also low in fat, Dr. Vogliano noted — but that means it has fewer omega-3 fatty acids than some other seafood.

There’s not a huge nutritional difference between canned tuna, sushi and a tuna steak, he added. Cooking the fish might lower its vitamin D, and the canning process might leach out a few nutrients, he said, but its nutritional value is largely the same.

Tuna’s one big health drawback, experts say, is the risk posed by mercury, a neurotoxin. This heavy metal enters the ocean mostly from human activities like burning fossil fuels. It’s absorbed by small organisms and works its way up the food chain and accumulates in bigger, longer-lived species — like sharks, swordfish and, yes, tuna.

In high enough concentrations, mercury can cause serious health problems. Cases of mercury poisoning are rare in the United States, but experts worry about the long-term effects of mercury on the brain — and elevated levels are often more common among urban and coastal populations that eat more seafood.

So what does this mean for tuna eaters? The answer is nuanced because the amount of mercury depends on the species — and there are 15 types of tuna, all of which could end up on a dinner plate. The smallest (and often cheapest), like skipjack, have very little mercury. Albacore and yellowfin can have three times as much; bigeye and bluefin can have far more, Dr. Vogliano said.

Read the full article at the The New York Times

Outcry grows over questionable “vitamin tuna” treatment process

June 11, 2024 — Yellowfin and bigeye tuna steaks and loins sold across the United States – and likely Europe and other markets – are increasingly probable to be tainted with unlisted ingredients, including citric acid, beet extract, and sodium, according to three global seafood executives.

Up to 60 percent of yellowfin tuna steaks exported from Vietnam undergo a process through which they are injected with a saline solution and then bathed in a mixture of beet juice, paprika, and additives like sodium ascorbate and ascorbic acid. After this, they are treated with carbon monoxide or a tasteless, or clear, smoke. The process vastly improves the coloration of lower-grade tuna and gives the product an added water weight that can increase its value by 15 to 20 percent, the executives said.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource