World Tuna Day is celebrated annually on May 2 to raise awareness about Tuna fish, which is facing threat of extinction due to excessive demand for their meat. The day also promotes the sustainable fishing methods, a special fishery technique that aims to meet the requirement of people as well as maintain the population of fishes in the ocean. Apart from being a significant food sources, Tuna plays a crucial role in strengthening economy of both developing and developed countries.
Tuna fish, especially canned tuna, has always been in the great demand because of its rich nutritional value. However, the demand has increased since the outbreak of Covid pandemic, as one can get multiple nutritions like Omega-3, proteins, minerals, vitamin B12 and others, from a single Tuna fish. As a result the fish is facing threat of endangered. In 2017, it was estimated that 33.3 per cent of the stocks for the seven main species of tuna were being fished to biologically unsustainable levels.
Focusing on the declining number of tuna fish, the United Nations General Assembly in 2016 decided to dedicate a special day to tuna fish and officially voted for World Tuna Day on May 2. The first World Tuna Day was observed in 2017, since then, people across the globe have observed this special day by organising various events to raise awareness about this sea creature.
The UN action focused on conservation management and the establishment of a system to prevent tuna stocks from crashing. Tuna resources are crucial resources for many countries for economic growth, food security and nutrition, employment, government revenue, livelihoods, culture, and recreation.
According to the official website of the United Nations, over seven million metric tons of tuna and tuna-like creatures are harvested annually to meet the demands of the market.
These migratory tuna species account for over 8 per cent of all globally traded seafood and 20 per cent of the value of all marine capture fisheries.
There are about 40 species of tuna and tuna-like creatures that can be found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans, as well as the Mediterranean Sea.
Currently, over 96 countries are actively participating in the conservation and management of this special creature, which has an annual worth of $ 10 billion. In line with that, several programmes have also been started to reduce overfishing.