Tuna and salmon: is sustainability possible?

The concept of sustainability has now become part of not only the daily lexicon but also of our life behaviours. Since 1992, the year in which it became the new development paradigm with the UN Conference on the environment and development, much has been achieved and today, to be an active and responsible consumer, it is vital to pay attention to the sustainability of the supply chain of all foods that arrive on our tables. Attention to the environment, the well-being of animals and people during the entire production process and personal well-being are now inseparable elements. Tuna and salmon are a significant example of the most consumed products that represent privileged observation points regarding the sustainability of the supply chain. Let's try to understand more.

The global tuna market is worth more than $42 billion a year, for a total of 6 million tonnes (6.6 US tons) of fish and more than 6 million people employed in the industry in the Asia-Pacific region alone. Tuna is in fact the most consumed fish by the world population: in fact, other than its nutritional value are its affordability and its ease of marketing, conservation and consumption (the cans) that represent the discriminating elements of its popularity. In Italy, the production of canned tuna has a market value of 1.4 billion euros for a consumption of 2.5 kg (5 ½ lbs) per capita. However, tuna is also a market that shows the most critical points in terms of sustainability: in the last 60 years its catch has increased by as much as 1000% (Source: Fisheries Research), with devastating consequences on the species and on the marine ecosystem: it is no coincidence that the International Union for Nature Conservation has classified tuna as a "species in danger of extinction". The main problems associated with tuna production are related to fishing and farming. In fact, to speed up and maximise their capture, large "trawl nets" are used, which collect indiscriminately everything they find, thus giving rise to bycatch, i.e. the accidental capture of

BY CATERINA VIANELLO

other marine species, often not suitable for trade, which are then thrown back at sea, in most cases already dead. The consequences are impactful, undermining both the extinction of the fish fauna (including that of tuna obviously: the case of bluefin tuna is emblematic), and the health of the seabed and of the entire marine biodiversity.

A further cause of impoverishment of the seas is the use of longlines and Fads (fish aggregation devices), floating structures which, thanks to shapes positioned underwater, attract tuna and other marine animals which are then captured with purse seiners. Intensive farming represents a further problem: the growing demand for tuna has influenced the increasingly massive use of fish farms. Forced into "cages", in overcrowded conditions, force-fed (with consequences on the production of a large amount of excrements) the tunas are also given antibiotics and medicines, so that epidemics or attacks of lice do not occur. Similar conditions are deleterious, transforming tuna into a fish that is certainly not healthy and nutritious.

On top of this are the questions of marine health, illegal fishing activity, failure to comply with the quota system, aimed at regulating the amount of catch for each country, as well as the fishing periods. Talking about sustainability at this point would seem illusory: in reality, since 1995, the year in which the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing was adopted, the importance of using fishery and aquaculture resources responsibly has been understood.

Over the years there has been a progressive development of international tools, policies and programmes to support responsible fishing and production efforts globally. A particularly useful system for consumers is that of certifications, aimed at guaranteeing that producers have used sustainable methods for tuna fishing. Among these the best known is that of MSC, Marine Stewardship Council, a non-profit organization whose certification methods simultaneously meet the requirements established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), by the Global Sustainable Seafood Initiative (Gssi) and the International Code of Sustainability Systems (Iseal).

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The certification is awarded to those who demonstrate that the fished stock does not represent a threat to biodiversity, that fishing is carried out without damaging the environment, that all fishing and fish management operations are environmentally sustainable and respect the law. Nearly 30% of the world's tuna catch by volume is now certified to the MSC Sustainable Fisheries Standard. Other brands are the Friend of the sea, a project of the World Sustainability Organization, an NGO that certifies products and services that respect marine environment. Again, the criteria are precise: you must demonstrate that you are using fish stocks that are not overexploited; eliminate the impact on the seabed; choose selective fishing methods in order not to catch endangered species and have a maximum of 8% waste; improve the energy balance and optimize fuel efficiency; have sustainable waste management and a social responsibility profile.

In recent years, awareness and commitment have grown: between 2007 and 2021, 49 certification conditions were met by tuna fisheries, in particular 8 on stock health, 19 on fishery management and 22 on reducing the impact of fishing on the ecosystem. A United Nations report released in 2020 also found that 8 tuna populations were restored to a healthy level between 2014 and 2019, reducing the number of major stock tuna populations experiencing overfishing from 13 to 5. There is certainly still a lot of work to do, but it is a little easier for consumers to choose consciously, by purchasing certified products and for which the adoption of a traceability system makes it possible to prevent fraud. Furthermore, it is worth mentioning a sustainable fishing practice that is certainly not utopia: it is fishing with a rod: the quantities of catch are certainly reduced but the one-to-one ratio avoids by-catch. Carried out in places like the Maldives or the Solomon Islands, it represents an important source of income for local fishermen. In recent years, the number of brands offering rod-caught tuna has increased.

An important player in maintaining the life of the ecosystem to which it belongs, salmon has been the protagonist in recent decades of exponential growth in consumption. Since wild salmon could not satisfy the increase in demand, we gradually resorted to farms. The farmed salmon industry has grown by 270% since 1998, and now has a turnover that was worth 23 billion dollars in 2019: today about 70% of the salmon produced worldwide is farmed. According to the FAO, almost all of the production - 96% - takes place in just 4 countries: Norway, Chile (Patagonia and the Chilean archipelago), Canada and Scotland/UK. The economic sector is highly concentrated: the top 10 companies control over 50% of the total production and turnover of the sector. Industrial fish farms, with metal cages holding up to 250,000 salmon each, are the main critical area.

Farming conditions, fish nutrition and environmental impact are among the major issues where reasoning around sustainability gets stuck.

Open mesh pens are the most common aquaculture system for salmon but they cause significant problems: the possibility of contamination of the environment, with waste, antibiotics or chemicals used, is high. The source of food is a further problem: in order to grow, salmon are in fact fed on fishmeal, with consequences on wild fish populations (and other species that depend on them in the food chain) and on the food that could be destined for humans. Furthermore, the farms do not allow suitable living conditions for the fish, which are subjected to stress due to the high concentration (the density recorded in some farms is 12, 25 or 33 kilograms of fish per cubic meter of water, therefore very high) giving rise to parasites and disease and the spread of sea lice, a cause of infection.

In 2012, also as a result of the ever-growing debate around sustainability, the Global Salmon Initiative (GSI) was launched by the major producers, an initiative aimed at guaranteeing sustainable nutrition for salmon, minimising their environmental impact and continuing to improve their social and economic contribution. Another useful tool in terms of sustainability, even if to be perfected, are the closed containment farming methods: in particular, it is the case of the recirculation system, which treats and recirculates the water in the system, reducing the probability of spreading diseases. Certifications are also used for salmon, which represent a guide to responsible purchasing for the consumer. For the moment, however, the impact of farming is still considerable and the comparison between farmed and wild salmon sees the goal of sustainability leaning decisively towards the latter.

BY CATERINA VIANELLO