World Tuna Day 2024: Date, History, Significance And All You Need To Know

In 2016, the United Nations General Assembly voted to declare May 2 as World Tuna Day with the aim of conserving the world's tuna population.

Demand for tuna fish is driven by its high nutritive values. It is rich in Omega-3, proteins, minerals, vitamin B12 etc. This surge in demand has resulted in a threat to the species. 

"According to the latest data, among the seven principal tuna species, 33.3% of the stocks are estimated to be fished at biologically unsustainable levels," the UN stated. Over seven million metric tons of tuna and tuna-like fish are fished annually.

World Tuna Day is a conscious effort to create awareness and restrict tuna-related activities around the world. 

 The United Nations General Assembly adopted May 2 as World Tuna Day in December 2016.

The decline in tuna stocks and the overfishing of tuna and tuna-like fishes in the world’s oceans prompted the declaration of a day dedicated to the marine species. The UN Legal Counsel emphasised the implementation of an international legal framework mentioned in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). This legal framework stands for sustainable fisheries and related efforts initiated on global, national, and regional levels. 

Currently, over 96 countries are involved in the conservation and management of tuna, which has an annual value of almost 10 billion USD. This, along with the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)'s Common Oceans Tuna Project, has started giving positive results in reducing overfishing.

The idea behind World Tuna Day is to create awareness about the conservation and management of the species. This awareness is important to protect the tuna fish from becoming extinct. Several countries around the world rely on tuna for economic development, government revenue, employment, culture, livelihood, recreation, food security, and nutrition. 

The FAO, which is the UN’s dedicated agency that contributes to defeating hunger around the world, aims to evaluate tuna stocks annually and reach sustainable fishing levels by 2027. 

Here are some tuna facts as per World Wide Fund for Nature:

• Tuna fish is described as the 'Ferrari of the ocean' — "sleek, powerful, and made for speed."

• A few tuna species can swim at a speed of 43 miles per hour (Around 70 km/hr)

• Four tuna species are available for consumption. Skipjack comprises half the population followed by yellowfin, bigeye, and albacore.

• According to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, 61% of tuna stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, but 13% are considered overfished.