It has the ability to keep the seas in an excellent state of health and at the same time to guarantee the food security of various populations.
Today, May 2, is
World Tuna Day
, created by the United Nations General Assembly to raise awareness of the value of tuna and the sustainability of its market.
To regulate the fishing all over the world and therefore also in Italy is the
ICAAT
, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, an organization responsible for the management and conservation of tunas and similar species in the Atlantic Ocean and in the seas adjacent.
It meets every year to establish the fishing calendar and the quantity of catches granted for each country, having been 'a special supervised' at risk of extinction for several years.
As far as Italy is concerned, as ANSA reports
Fedagripesca-Confcooperative
, the purse seine fishing campaign will start on May 26th for about a month.
"Tuna, the fish symbol of the Mediterranean, is a doubly sustainable product - explains Fedagripesca - the strict European rules that regulate the fishing calendar and quantities, with Community inspectors on board and in the ports of unloading, make it the most protected in the world".
Over the years, the plans for the recovery of fish stocks, recalls Fedagripesca, have produced important results on the well-being of the species, so much so that increases in catch quantities have been foreseen.
"This year, in fact, 530 tonnes more were granted to Italy for purse seine for a total quantity of 5,283 tonnes".
The increasingly numerous sightings of specimens in areas usually less frequented by tuna show that the species exists, Fedagripesca says, but tuna is also sustainable because it is an anti-waste
product
given that nothing is thrown away during processing: from roe, tarantello, ventresca, musciame, lettuce, buzzonaglie, filet.
There are many cuts to be valued at the table with fresh or processed preparations and what does not end up on the plate is transformed into flour also used in animal feed.
Sustainable tuna fishing by 2027 is the goal of
FAO's Common Oceans Tuna project
which aims to ensure sustainable tuna fishing in the oceans and the conservation of biodiversity.
From 2014 to 2019, this project halved tuna stocks.
Despite this, over 7 million tonnes of tuna and tuna-like species are caught each year, representing 20% of the market value of all marine-caught fisheries and over 8% of global fish production, with an annual value of almost 10 billion dollars.
These fish, FAO points out, play a fundamental role in sustainable development, food security, economic opportunities and livelihoods for people around the world.
Therefore, because tuna is vital, it is necessary to end the overfishing that has caused tuna stocks to decline.
On World Tuna Day, FAO underlines the crucial importance of the effective implementation of the international legal framework, indicated in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
This Convention has been strengthened at various levels, including the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fishing and the United Nations Agreement on Fisheries and Fish Stocks.
"It is only by doubling our efforts that we can finally achieve sustainable management of these resources - says FAO - Our survival also depends on that of other species, and today more than ever we must adapt our lifestyles so that they are in harmony with nature".