Tuna 101

Tuna is a highly migratory species that is found in all major oceans of the world. Bumble Bee sources globally, so our tuna can come from any of the oceans as well. While our tuna comes from all oceans, as a participant in International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) we are capable of tracing our tuna products from capture to plate including the name and flag of fishing vessels, fish species, ocean of capture corresponding to tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organization area, fishing trip dates, fishing gear employed, date the company took ownership of the fish and each species by weight.

What kind of tuna is in my can or pouch? And where does it come from?
The answer to this is that it depends on what type of product you have. Our white meat tuna products only contain albacore while our light meat products primarily consist of skipjack. Learn more about the type of tuna in each of these products white meat (albacore) or light meat.

How is tuna caught?
Again, the answer to this depends largely upon the type of tuna. The primary methods of catching the fish that goes into our light meat products is purse seining while longline fishing is the method used to catch the albacore that goes into our white meat products. Read more about the respective fishing methods – purse seine or longline.

How does tuna get from the ocean to my can or pouch?
After fish are caught via one of the methods noted above, the fish are cleaned, packed into cans and cooked in the can. Read more about how tuna is processed – tuna processing.

Watch a video on canned tuna processing.

How does Bumble Bee support the sustainable management of tuna stocks?
Bumble Bee is committed to responsible, sustainable fishing practices and global resource management. As our primary business is seafood, it is imperative – in fact, it is inherent to our mission – we adhere to practices and policies that ensure long term sustainability of our fisheries resources.

The primary channel for Bumble Bee’s efforts for tuna sustainability is the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). The ISSF is a unique partnership among global scientists, tuna processors representing nearly 75 percent of the world’s packaged tuna production, and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) – the leading environmental organization. The ISSF mission is to undertake science-based initiatives for the long term sustainability of tuna stocks, reduction of by-catch and promotion of ecosystem health, largely by supporting the conservation recommendations of tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) scientific committees.

More can be learned about all of Bumble Bee sustainability programs here.