Tuna Farming

Tuna is one of the major traded international seafood products, with world landings of over 3.5-4.5 million tones per annum.

There are seven different tuna species which live in the various oceans of the world. These are: blackfin tuna, bigeye tuna, longtail tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore, southern bluefin and northern bluefin tuna. Among them, the most important are albacore and bluefin.

One third of tuna is produced fresh, chilled or frozen fish and exported to the major markets of Japan, the United States and the European Union.

‘Farms’ generally refers to operation of similar characteristics, usually by a given company in a given area.

Tuna farming refers to the practice whereby tuna are caught either by a vessel or a tuna trap and then transferred to structures where they are kept and undergo further growth.

Tuna farming is different from other fish farming because wild juvenile tuna are captured at sea and then fattened in cages to improved the oil content of the fish in order to meet market standard.

The main species used in farming are bluefin tuna, but the practice is also spreading to bigeye and yellowfin tuna.

There are major producer of capture based aquaculture located in Australia, Europe and Mexico.

On average, the tuna are fed for three to six months in the sea cages, during which time their weight usually increases by a third. Inexpensive fish species such as herring, sardines, anchovies, and sardinellas or mackerel serve as fed.

Farmed tuna has better meat quality and meets the requirement for markets. Farming is done in fattening cages made of strong, flexible polyethylene material.

Harvesting is usually carried out on order when the quality and size of the fish fits demand and the prices are right. The tuna produced in aquaculture are mainly species with a high market value.
Tuna Farming