Tunas are among the most commercially valuable fish species on Earth, playing a vital role in healthy ocean ecosystems and supporting livelihoods around the globe. A new report from Pew, “Netting Billions 2020: A Global Tuna Valuation,” shows that the constant growth in fishing for tunas worldwide could actually be hurting the industries and communities that depend on them, in addition to threatening marine ecosystems.
In the report, which builds on one published in 2016, we estimate that global catch of commercially important tuna species increased from 4.6 million metric tons in 2012 to 5.2 million in 2018 but that the total value paid by final consumers declined by nearly $1 billion—to $40.8 billion—over that time. The ideal catch level, economically speaking, may not always be as high as the scientifically determined maximum sustainable yield—the largest catch that can sustainably be taken, year after year.
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