Wildlife

Tuna Welfare: Purse Seine, FADs, and the Scale of Harm

Tuna fishing at industrial scale causes welfare harms to billions of fish annually through overcrowding, injury, and bycatch of vulnerable species.

Key Facts

Over 7 million tonnes of tuna are caught annually worldwide
Purse seine nets encircle entire schools, causing crushing and hypoxia
Fish aggregating devices (FADs) attract tuna but also increase bycatch of juvenile fish and sharks
Pole-and-line and troll-caught tuna have significantly lower bycatch
Skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye are the most commercially important species

Welfare Considerations

Fish encircled in purse seine nets experience crowding stress, oxygen depletion, physical injury from net contact, and fear responses as water temperature and chemistry change. Death is by suffocation after hauling. FADs aggregate juvenile tuna and non-target species including sharks, sea turtles, and rays that are caught and discarded. The welfare scale across the entire tuna fishing industry is vast and largely invisible to consumers.

What You Can Do

Choose pole-and-line or troll-caught tuna certified by the Marine Stewardship Council
Look for the 'skipjack' species label with no FAD designation
Support Greenpeace tuna campaign calling for FAD-free fishing
Reduce tuna consumption or choose plant-based alternatives
Engage with brands and retailers about sustainable and lower-bycatch sourcing