Why Dolphin Friendly Tuna not only isn't enough, it's a real problem.
The one part of the article I disagree with is this - I am taking the options of “just stop fishing for tuna” and “come up with another way” off the table- it’s simply not going to happen. Come up with another way is already happening. Consumers just aren't looking for it.
According to the US SeaFood Watch guide, the only environmentally responsible kind of tuna to eat in the US is that caught locally (US or BC) using pole or troll methods. A close inspection of cans in our local supermarkets turned up cans of Tuna Guys US troll-caught white albacore tuna, not only in our local PCC whole foods store, but in stacks in every branch of mass market QFC I've ever been to. This is what I've been buying for the last 3 years, based on the Seafood Watch guide, without ever knowing why. Now I know why. I know there's an equivalent responsible seafood guide for Australia, and I'm sure there is for other parts of the world too.
Yes, a can of Tuna Guys troll-caught tuna costs almost twice as much as the cheapest can of Starkist. But it's much better quality - you get a solid chunk of tuna instead of a compressed together mish-mash in water. And the most important question of all is: How much are the oceans worth to you?
The one part of the article I disagree with is this - I am taking the options of “just stop fishing for tuna” and “come up with another way” off the table- it’s simply not going to happen. Come up with another way is already happening. Consumers just aren't looking for it.
According to the US SeaFood Watch guide, the only environmentally responsible kind of tuna to eat in the US is that caught locally (US or BC) using pole or troll methods. A close inspection of cans in our local supermarkets turned up cans of Tuna Guys US troll-caught white albacore tuna, not only in our local PCC whole foods store, but in stacks in every branch of mass market QFC I've ever been to. This is what I've been buying for the last 3 years, based on the Seafood Watch guide, without ever knowing why. Now I know why. I know there's an equivalent responsible seafood guide for Australia, and I'm sure there is for other parts of the world too.
Yes, a can of Tuna Guys troll-caught tuna costs almost twice as much as the cheapest can of Starkist. But it's much better quality - you get a solid chunk of tuna instead of a compressed together mish-mash in water. And the most important question of all is: How much are the oceans worth to you?