Over the past few decades, fishing of most tuna populations has shifted from an intensive practice that put fish stocks at risk to a virtuous management approach that respects ecosystem balance — thanks in part to MSC certification.
Tuna is one of the most popular fish among consumers — partly thanks to the convenience of tinned varieties in oil — but it is precisely this popularity, and the exponential growth in global tuna demand from the 1970s onwards, that made this extraordinary marine treasure a symbol of intensive, unsustainable fishing in recent decades.
For skipjack tuna, for example, annual catches grew from around 400,000 tonnes in 1970 to approximately 1.9 million tonnes in 1998. For iconic species such as bluefin tuna, overfishing — especially in the Mediterranean — brought populations to historic lows and nearly pushed them to commercial extinction, stripping the marine ecosystem of one of its key regulators.
According to data from the latest report by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), global tuna catches reached approximately 5.8 million tonnes in 2024: skipjack tuna accounts for 58 per cent of total catches, followed by yellowfin tuna (30 per cent). Most tuna comes from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, which remains the area under the greatest fishing pressure, but also the one with the most productive populations.
Yet today the story of tuna is no longer simply a chronicle of decline. In recent years, the direction has changed thanks to several factors: stricter regulation and control, the use of scientific tools available to the fishing industry, greater coordination in the management of activities, and growing consumer awareness.
The ISSF report also reveals that 74 per cent of tuna stocks subject to fishing are at a healthy level of abundance, 96 per cent of tuna populations are not subject to overfishing, and 97 per cent of the total tuna catch comes from populations that are healthy in terms of abundance. This last figure is largely attributable to the fact that skipjack tuna, which makes up around 58 per cent of the global catch, is in good health everywhere.
Between the climate changes that are altering tuna migration routes — tuna fishing is considered one of the industries most at risk from climate change — and the scourge of illegal fishing, the future of tuna remains a delicate balance between global food needs and the integrity of the oceans, to be safeguarded through responsible fishing practices.
The positive data on tuna are the result of years of more controlled and efficient fisheries management moving towards ever greater sustainability, beginning with the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF) drawn up by the FAO in 1995, which defines the fundamental principles, objectives and actions that States should undertake to achieve the responsible conservation and management of the world's fish stocks.
In subsequent years, fishing quotas in line with the best available scientific assessments were introduced, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations were established to allow different countries to sit at the same table and agree on shared rules for tuna fishing, on-board observers and tools such as exclusion grids were introduced to avoid the accidental capture of other marine creatures such as turtles and dolphins. Certifications were also created, giving consumers both power and responsibility.
The blue label of MSC (Marine Stewardship Council) certifies that a seafood product comes from sustainable fishing according to three principles: it must leave enough resources in the sea for the population to reproduce and for fishing to continue over time; it must be carried out in a way that minimises its impact on marine ecosystems and habitats; and it must be managed responsibly and in compliance with applicable laws, so that it can adapt to change.
In 2025, 3.1 million tonnes of MSC-certified tuna were landed, representing more than half of the global tuna catch.
The MSC Sustainable Tuna Report recounts the success story of yellowfin tuna fishing in the Indian Ocean. Here, in 2016, the species was in decline and MSC-certified fishing operations could no longer catch yellowfin tuna responsibly. To bring fishing back to sustainable levels, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission launched a tuna conservation project known as the "Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding Resolutions", with the aim of recovering and rebuilding depleted yellowfin tuna populations.
Collaboration between MSC-certified fishing operations, scientific researchers, environmental NGOs and coastal states proved fundamental in managing the population responsibly and drastically reducing catches. Furthermore, to ease market pressure, MSC partners such as Carrefour, Tesco, Bolton and Princes supported fishing activities and reduced their sourcing of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna by more than 30 per cent compared to historical levels. By the end of 2025, the Commission announced that Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna populations had recovered and were no longer overfished or subject to overfishing. Fisheries certified under the MSC Standard were therefore once again able to catch yellowfin tuna sustainably and bring it to market.
The story of bluefin tuna is also one with a positive outcome. In the 1980s, growing demand for bluefin tuna led to overfishing of the population: it is estimated that, during the 1990s, between 50,000 and 61,000 tonnes of bluefin tuna were caught each year in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean Sea — a quantity that, according to experts, put the species at risk of extinction. In 2007, a recovery plan was launched that reduced permitted catch quotas, restricted fishing seasons based on gear type and vessel size, and raised the minimum size from 10 kg to 30 kg. The plan also limited catches from recreational vessels, introduced the mandatory presence of observers on board vessels longer than 15 metres, and banned quota transfers, transshipment, and the use of aircraft to locate tuna schools.
Over the years, the plan was strengthened further and the first improvements were seen in 2010. In 2015, bluefin tuna moved from "endangered" to "near threatened". In 2017, the eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna population was no longer overfished, and in 2018 the first bluefin tuna fisheries entered assessment for compliance with the MSC Standard: these were the Japanese bluefin tuna longline fisheries of Usufuku Honten and Sathoan, a French artisanal bluefin tuna longline and handline fishery in the Mediterranean, both of which obtained certification in 2020. In 2021, the extinction status of Atlantic bluefin tuna moved to "least concern".
How can we play our part in safeguarding marine ecosystems and fish populations? Each of us can do so by choosing to buy sustainably sourced fish products. The MSC blue label helps us identify them by simplifying purchasing decisions and guaranteeing that products come from sustainable fishing practices verified against the MSC Standard by independent bodies across the entire supply chain.
MSC-certified products are not limited to tuna alone, but encompass many fish species, thereby promoting the diversification of consumption. This last aspect is important both for reducing pressure on a single fish population and for our health, encouraging diversity twice over: in the sea and on the plate.
Large fish accumulate more mercury than small fish. For this reason, experts recommend not exceeding one portion per week of large fish and alternating with other medium- to small-sized fish (such as mackerel, for example), molluscs, and crustaceans. Through mindful choices oriented towards greater variety, it is therefore possible to protect biodiversity while also benefiting from the important nutrients found in fish.
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