Atlantic bluefin tuna are one of the ocean's most extraordinary fish — yet decades of overfishing have devastated populations and welfare during capture is rarely considered.
Bluefin tuna are highly sensitive fish that experience severe stress during capture — hook-and-line fishing causes lactic acid buildup, exhaustion, and physiological shock. Live tuna are often towed in net pens for months before slaughter. Evidence suggests bluefin experience fear and pain in ways analogous to other vertebrates.