Name that tuna

With the sudden surge of interest over tuna in the media, now's a good time to clarify which species are endangered and should never be eaten, and those which are ok to eat - provided of course that they come from a reliable, sustainable source.

So here's a quick rundown on the species you're most likely to encounter on sale in the UK, to help you make the right choice:

Bluefin

Status: ENDANGERED
Where found: sushi restaurants, as cuts like 'toro'. Often not listed by species.
What to do? AVOID

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Bigeye

Status: ENDANGERED
Where found: sushi restaurants, as cuts like 'toro'. Often not listed by species.
What to do? AVOID

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Yellowfin

Status: some concern over stock levels and fishing methods
Where found: tuna steaks in fish counters, and some tuna steaks in cans. In most supermarkets
What to do? Choose only pole-and-line caught yellowfin

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Albacore

Status: some concern over stock levels and fishing methods
Where found: jars and cans. In most supermarkets
What to do? Choose only pole-and-line caught albacore (and look for MSC-certified albacore if you can)

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Skipjack

Status: concern over fishing methods
Where found: most tinned tuna, and tuna used in sandwiches, ready meals and other food is skipjack. Widely available.
What to do? Choose only pole-and-line caught skipjack

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For the latest information about the situation regarding tinned tuna, please refer to our recent tinned tuna update.

 

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