Today is World Tuna Day ( 2 May 2023). The United Nations General Assembly voted to officially observe World Tuna Day in December 2016 and started observing the World Tuna Day since 2017.
Tuna and tuna-like species include approximately 40 species occurring in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans and in the Mediterranean Sea. More than 7 million metric tonnes (MMT) of Tuna and Tuna-like species are harvested yearly. These migratory species account 20% of the value of all marine capture fisheries and over 8% of all globally traded seafood. Two main products drive tuna production i.e., traditional canned tuna and sashimi/sushi. Tuna meats are rich in Omega-3 and contains minerals, proteins and vitamin B12, among other advantages. Among the seven principal tuna species, 33.3 percent of the stocks were estimated to be fished at biologically unsustainable levels.
FAO noted that market demand for tuna is still high, and that the significant overcapacity of tuna fishing fleets remains. Addressing the decline in tuna stocks resulting from overfishing in the world’s oceans, the UN Legal Counsel emphasizes the critical importance of effectively implementing the international legal framework, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, widely known as UNCLOS, which has been strengthened by the Code of Conduct for Sustainable Fishery, the UN Fish Stocks Agreement, recommendations of its Review Conference, annual General Assembly resolutions on sustainable fisheries, as well as other efforts by the international community at the global, regional and national levels.
At present, over 96 countries are involved in the conservation and management of tuna, which has an annual value of almost 10 billion USD, and some FAO relevant programmes have started giving positive results in reducing overfishing. FAO’S Common Oceans Tuna project aims to ensure that all major tuna stocks are fished at sustainable levels by 2027. This ambitious goal is part of its efforts towards more sustainable tuna fishing and biodiversity conservation. From 2014-2019, the Common Oceans Tuna project helped reduce the number of tuna stocks experiencing overfishing from 13 to 5. Let's be optimistic about the tuna of tomorrow.
Source: https://www.un.org/en/observances/tuna-day
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