Bluefin, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna are caught in enormous quantities using purse seines, longlines, and FADs. Their welfare during capture and death is largely unaddressed.
Tuna caught in purse seines experience crowding, exhaustion, and asphyxiation during the haul. Tens of thousands of fish in a single net compete for space as the net closes, with many crushed or damaged by the pressure. Those that survive to the surface experience decompression stress. Longlining causes hook injury and prolonged time on the line before landing. Tuna farmed in sea cages after purse seine capture experience the transition stress of capture followed by cage confinement. The welfare of tuna - large, active, pelagic fish with complex behaviour - receives almost no regulatory attention.