"Tuna" is the general name applied to the Teleostei,
Percida, Scombina, and Scombridae species of fish. Mainly inhabiting the open sea, these fish are extremely agile and can cover long distances at high speeds. They also reside at the top of the food chain among other fish species. There are several types of tuna: bluefin tuna, southern bluefin tuna, bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna, albacore, etc. Approximately 1.6 million tons of tuna are caught worldwide eaHundreds of different ch year.
What is Longline Fishing?
Longline fishermen are succeeding in their efforts to feed the world through sustainable and environmentally-friendly harvests.
Hundreds of different types of fish and shellfish are harvested each year to produce food for the people of the world. To catch this diverse and renewable harvest, fishermen use a wide variety of different fishing gear and methods.
One of these methods, called longline fishing, is an effective and environmentally friendly way to harvest seafood. It is used in oceans all over the world in small-scale fishing as well as in modern mechanized operations. Tuna longline fishing was predominantly developed in Japan.
Longline gear is based upon a design consisting of three parts: the mainline, gangions (individual “branch” lines attached to the mainline), and baited hooks.
Longline vessels set out a mainline supported by floats that may extend for miles beneath the surface of the ocean. Hanging at regular intervals from the mainline are the gangions with baited hooks which can be adjusted to fish at varying depths. As a passive (stationary) type of gear, a longline’s chance of success is based on the target species’ demand for food. Fish are caught on longlines because they are attracted to their baited hooks.
(Source: Abstracted from International Coalition of Fisheries Association pamphlet.)
For more detail about Global Tuna Supply and Sashimi Tuna, click here.