Hugh’s Fish Fight has generated a lot of public interest in tuna sustainability. Some of this has had a real and positive effect on companies’ behaviour and awareness.

However, the latest series vilifies purse seine fishing and related use of fish aggregating devices (FADs), while holding up pole and line fishing as the only possible sustainable alternative. In fact, scientific evidence shows fishing with FADs is not necessarily the ecosystem-wrecker some groups portray it to be and that supplying tuna caught by pole and line tuna is no ‘silver bullet’ - not least because it is only available only in limited supply.

Centuries of experience have taught fishermen that tuna are attracted to floating objects such as tree branches. Today, fishers approximate these natural phenomena via FADs - essentially a raft made of bamboo and netting, ropes or cloth, with a satellite beacon attached.

FAD by-catch rates - fish caught other than tuna - average less than 5% of the total catch. In some regions, the catch of other fish provides needed food for local communities.

No single fishing method is perfect, let alone capable of meeting the world’s demand for tuna. That’s why improvements are being made for each method through scientific trial, outreach to skippers, and improved data collection. Relying solely on one fishing method to supply the global market is unrealistic and misses the point.

Innovation, along with a focus on further technological improvements, by-catch mitigation, data collection and reporting, vessel monitoring, and product traceability, is the most realistic path to improving fisheries.

Walking away from modern fishing techniques will not solve our sustainability challenges. After several years of companies and fisheries implementing verifiable, science-based commitments, Hugh’s Fish Fight is now asking them to meet a standard that has limited practical or scientific grounding. However good its intentions might be, the campaign is distracting energy and efforts from the more appropriate goal of improving all tuna fisheries.

Susan Jackson is president of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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