Spain ranks second in the world in canned tuna production

Spain ranks second in the world in canned tuna production! For more information on export to China, please call SINOLOBEN, service Email: sinoloben@sloben.com

According to a study by the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) and the Spanish University of the Balearic Islands (UIB), Spain, with 640 canning companies, is the main canned tuna producer in Europe, with an annual production of 374,000 tons, accounting for 64% of the total production in the European region and ranking second globally after Thailand. .

 
According to this study on the economic, social and environmental impacts of the canned tuna industry, the canned tuna industry is globalized and the information consumers receive about the species, its conservation and fishing areas is scarce and unregulated.
 
Food systems are becoming regionalized and internationalized, and canned tuna is no exception, said Patricia Reglero, a researcher at the International Ocean Bureau's Balearic Islands Oceanography Center. Consumers are unaware of the long journey tuna takes before it becomes canned, making it difficult for them to make informed and responsible decisions.
 
Tuna catches have increased from less than 200,000 tons in 1950 to 5.3 million tons in 2019, with skipjack tuna being the most dominant tuna category caught and mostly used for canned products.
 
According to this study, when one eats canned tuna one may eat different species of tuna: skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) or bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), which are the most heavily harvested marine species, especially striped belly tuna ( striped belly tuna).
 
Tuna supports a large global industry dedicated to extraction, distribution, processing and consumption, with Spain being the main producer in Europe and the second largest in the world.
 
The study notes that unlike the labeling of fresh tuna, canned tuna has more lenient regulations, with European governments requiring label content to provide nutritional information and shelf life, but not to detail information such as species, region and method of capture.
 
The study highlights that some canning companies and distributors provide information beyond these requirements.
 
There are 678 registered large tuna purse seine vessels worldwide, 28 of which are Spanish-flagged.
 
Spanish fishing vessels operate mainly in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, with the main landing ports being Seychelles in the Indian Ocean, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal and Cape Verde in the Atlantic, and Ecuador in the Pacific, with the addition of other ports such as Madagascar and Samoa in recent years.
 
Regarding the conservation status of tuna species, the report notes that tropical tuna is in good condition, except for bigeye and yellowfin tuna, but has exceeded the maximum sustainable exploitation level in some areas. The scientists noted that while tuna fishing is managed and its conservation monitored, the information is "totally inadequate.
 
They call on consumers to have the data that will truly allow them to make responsible decisions about the origin, fishing methods and conservation status of the species they consume.

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