My recent experience in the canned tuna aisle at the store went something like this: me, immobile, studying the cans and pouches with their shiny labels, wondering which kind of tuna I should be eating again. Albacore? Yellowfin? Does it matter?
Actually, it matters a lot, seafood experts say, given how much canned tuna we eat (2.2 pounds a person annually, according to the National Fisheries Institute). It’s one of the three most popular types of seafood in the United States and has been for a decade now (because really, who’s to argue with a well-made tuna sandwich)?
But all that demand takes its toll, resulting in overfished populations, a tremendous amount of bycatch—that is, other marine life caught with the tuna—and labor violations against those working in the industry. Combined with the controversial issue of mercury levels in tuna, it’s no wonder I blanked out.
“The U.S. is the largest market in the world for canned tuna, so we have a lot of influence in how these fisheries operate,” says marine biologist John Hocevar, ocean campaign director for Greenpeace USA, which recently released a canned tuna shopping guide.
The good news, he says: “We’re really happy to see that at this point you can walk into most big supermarkets and find at least one pretty decent canned tuna option, and that wasn’t the case even two years ago.”
Here’s how to tell the decent from the not-so-decent:
Bycatch is a big problem
Most supermarket canned tuna is caught using the purse seine method—basically giant nets cast over schools of fish. The “worst-case scenario” is when the nets are used with floating fish aggregating devices, or FADs, which attract all sorts of sea life, not just tuna, says Carrie Brownstein, global seafood quality standards coordinator for Whole Foods Market.
According to Hocevar, tuna fishing kills millions of sharks and hundreds of thousands of sea turtles every year.
There’s no one best tuna type
Skipjack (aka light), albacore (aka white), and yellowfin are the most common types of canned tuna.
But bycatch and overfishing happen regardless of tuna species, so it’s hard to say that one is better, ecologically speaking, than the rest, says Brownstein. Skipjack stocks are generally doing better than albacore in terms of abundance, but albacore populations in some parts of the world are better managed and healthier than others. It just depends.
And don’t assume that that expensive can of oil-packed tuna means anything other than, well, it’s packed in oil rather than water.
So what should I look for?
The easiest thing is to look for “pole-and-line caught” or “troll caught” on the label. This means the tuna was caught one fish at a time, not swept up en masse with other marine life.
“FAD-free” is a less common label but a good sign if you see it, Hocevar says.
Another good indicator is the MSC-certified seal. The Marine Stewardship Council assesses specific fish populations and catch methods and how well fisheries are managed, and is considered the most reputable in terms of certification, says Brownstein.
