How many dolphins died to get your tuna in a can? The answer isn't
zero. There's a lot more drama behind your tuna sandwich than you thought.
When it comes to the different types of tuna you can find,
you are likely to immediately think of light or white tuna. That's because
this is one of the clearer distinctions you'll notice in the grocery store aisle.
According to Starkist, light tuna comes from skipjack and
yellowfin and is characterized by a tannish-pinkish color, soft texture,
and a flavor akin to chicken thighs. On the other hand, white tuna can only be made from albacore.
Contrary to what its name suggests, white tuna appears light pink and
has a firmer texture and a milder flavor comparable to chicken breasts. Of the two,
white tuna has a slightly higher fat content and thus higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids.
There are other species of tuna that, although not primarily earmarked for canning,
are worth noting. Among these are bluefin tuna.
As the most expensive tuna species, bluefin tuna's lifespan can go 20 years. You'd be
hard-pressed to find it served any other way but in sashimi and sushi.
"If I were a lion and you were a tuna,
I would swim out in the middle of the ocean and freakin' eat you!"
Pole and line fishing, as well as handlining – what fisherman
do during surface trolling – are the most ecological fishing methods. Although they
seem pretty straightforward, they do require a lot of equipment.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations,
there is a sequence of four main operations during fishing. To make things even more complicated,
each kind comes with its own unique set of tools needed to do the job.
The first method involves baiting hooks, which require nets and light attraction devices for
small fish and squids that will be used as bait. Frozen bait is sometimes also used,
though it may not be as effective. The second focuses on school locations,
which requires acoustic instruments like an echosounder.
The third method demands setting handlines, which requires lines of varying lengths and
hooks. Finally, the fourth tuna-wrangling method is landing catch, where fishing
lures are placed under a cover that's been sprayed with undercover or boxes with ice.
In cases where the tuna that's been caught is large, it must be kept in
an individual box with ice. What's more, the lines must also be strong
enough to not only carry the fish, but to manage its escape attempts.
Some of the most popular tuna fishing methods include pole and line fishing, surface trolling,
longline fishing, and purse seine fishing. Pole and line fishing uses hand-held poles
with short lines and baited hooks to catch tuna specifically where a school has been located.
Surface trolling is when a boat slowly drags lured poles and lines across the
ocean surface. Any tuna that is caught is quickly reeled in and
unhooked by the fishermen aboard before the line is placed back in.
While pole and line fishing, along with trolling are specifically aimed at catching tuna, longline,
purse seine fishing and gillnets are less precise. Other animals are easily caught
up in these latter methods, which are exceptionally harmful to the environment.
While issues with bycatch center on dolphins, it is now clear that these methods can harm
other species including turtles, swordfish, and young tuna that should not be caught nor kept.
"It's Brook trout. Hope you like fish."
"I love it. Thanks."
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation reported that 64% of shark
catches in the Indian Ocean can be attributed to gillnet fishing. As such,
it's important to check that the tuna you consume has been caught using ecologically-sound methods.
Food Source Information says that after tuna has been caught – hopefully using
ecological and sustainable methods – and stored cold, it is thawed in water tanks,
sorted according to size, and then pre-cooked in order to remove any unwanted oils.
This process of pre-cooking can last anywhere between 45 minutes and three hours. Next,
the tuna is left to cool, then stripped of bones and skins before the meat is separated
into light and red categories. Light meat — also referred to as loins — is
what's used for canning, while red meat is often used to make pet food.
The loins are cleaned in preparation for canning. During the canning process,
the tuna, along with cans are washed, cooked, and sterilized. This is done to make sure that
any live bacteria that may still be present inside the sealed cans is completely removed.
They are then left to cool before being labeled and assessed for
leakage or contamination before they're declared ready for shipping and retail.
For most people, the choice between water-packed and oil-packed tuna comes down to a matter of
taste, perceived healthiness, or both. According to Livestrong, water-packed
tuna contains 66 calories per serving, compared to the 145 calories typical of oil-packed tuna.
So if caloric intake is your biggest concern, water-packed could be the best way to go.
One of the greatest benefits of tuna is its richness as a source of omega-3 fatty acids.
Water-packed tuna reportedly trumps the oil-packed variety in this regard. But
much of that nutrient could be in the oil. According to Clean Plates,
one way to get the most out of that omega-3 fatty acid-rich oil is to use it. Deploy it as
an ingredient in your homemade salad dressings, for instance, or make mayo from scratch.
Oil-packed tuna also trumps water-packed when it comes to selenium and vitamin D. While half a cup
of oil-packed tuna contains 55.5 micrograms of selenium — which supports the body by
lowering oxidative stress and inflammation while aiding immune and thyroid function,
according to Healthline – the same amount of water-packed tuna contains 48.7 micrograms.
These same amounts of oil- and water-packed tuna also contain 4.9 micrograms and 0.83 micrograms of
vitamin D, respectively. Ultimately, whichever one you choose will come with its own benefits
and drawbacks compared to the other. What really matters is that you enjoy your choice.
The phrase "packed in water" is pretty straightforward. However,
different types of vegetable oil can be used to make oil-packed tuna. Such as soybean,
sunflower, and canola oil — just as long as it's not olive oil.
Tuna packed in olive oil will usually be specified as such on the packaging.
Once the above distinctions are made,
other seasonings and flavorings can be added to the mix. Among these are spices,
along with extracts and oils that can include salt, lemon flavoring, and garlic.
"Sleep well, Miss Lucy. Zee garlic will protect you."
Vegetable broths are also a feature here, though they must contain at least two
vegetables from a specific list, such as beans, carrots, cabbage, celery, or bell peppers.
Surprisingly enough, vegetable oil can also be a flavoring in water-packed tuna. However,
it can only make up 5% of the total can contents in order for it to qualify as water-packed. In
cases where the tuna is smoked, similarly to olive oil-packed tuna, it will be marked accordingly.
The safety of canned foods is paramount with any type of food – canned tuna is no
exception. Given the rigorous sterilization processes used during canning, sealed tuna
cans are about as safe from food-borne disease as a food can be, per Food Source Information.
This means that any dates regarding to a can's "best by" or "sell by" deadlines are
more about the quality of the tuna rather than its safety. For home canning, however,
food safety is dependent on how closely the canner follows canning and sterilization guidelines.
According to the National Fisheries Institute, you can help maintain the
quality of your canned tuna by storing the cans at room temperature and keeping them off the floor,
like on a pantry shelf with other canned or jarred goods. Try placing older cans in
front of newer ones in your pantry in order to remind yourself to use the older ones first.
If you're ever in any doubt about canned tuna or any other foods in your kitchen,
you can always access the USDA guide to food safety and handling to be extra sure,
before whipping up your next amazing tuna salad!
Tuna salad sandwiches, tuna melts, and tuna salads – these are the usual suspects you'll
find at the table when you catch a whiff of canned tuna. However, there are plenty of
ways to spice up your tuna salad and a lot of it comes down to your sense of taste.
"Jesus, it's like he's staring back at you."
"No, no, no, no. Not staring. He's sensing."
For instance, you can give it a hit of warmth with
a curry powder blend containing curry leaf, turmeric, cardamom, and cumin,
for instance. You can also sample the sweetness of dill or the zesty kick of lemon pepper.
If you don't have lemon pepper on hand,
you can easily make your own by grinding up sea salt, pepper, and lemon zest.
According to Greatist, you can also add a bit of razzle to your tuna salad by
foregoing the traditional mayo entirely and instead adding dressing, or mustard,
Greek yogurt or sour cream, or hummus. Consider adding texture with chopped nuts,
seeds, and crunchy fruits such as pears and vegetables.
Other creative ways of preparing your canned tuna include using it in a variety of pastas,
white bean soups, tuna cakes or burgers, and incorporating it in a tonnato sauce for bread
or appetizers. The possibilities here are practically endless. Tuna stir fry anyone?
According to BBC Good Food, 100 grams of canned tuna contains
about the same nutrients as the same weight of fresh tuna. For starters,
you'll get about 24.9 grams of protein from a 100 gram can of tuna.
It's also a valuable source of amino acids, B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin D.
These help to protect you from heart disease, and support the health of your skin, bones, and brain.
When it's packed in brine or water, canned tuna is also low in fat. Combined with its
high protein content, this nutrition profile can aid in weight management.
While canned tuna does boast an impressive profile of health benefits,
moderation is still key. Per Eat This, Not That!,
one can of tuna contains about a quarter of one's daily recommended amount of sodium.
Your body needs sodium to support the contraction and relaxation of muscle, regulate your balance of
water and minerals, and maintain nerve function, according to Harvard School of Public Health.
However, when sodium is consumed in high quantities, it can lead to bloating and,
over the long term, can increase your risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure.
We cannot consider the health benefits of tuna
without considering the potential dangers of mercury. This potential contaminant is
another reason why moderation is key when it comes to eating tuna.
According to Healthline, mercury seeps into marine life through natural and manmade industrial
processes that emit mercury into the atmosphere and ocean water. Because tuna feeds on other,
smaller fish that already contain mercury, it ends up collecting more of this heavy metal
than many other seafood animals — a persistent issue for large, predatory, oceangoing fish.
For instance, 85 grams of light tuna can contain a mercury concentration of about 10.71 micrograms,
while the same amount of albacore tuna can contain about 29.75 micrograms.
Given that the EPA advises that you only consume a maximum of 0.045
micrograms of mercury per pound of body weight in a day, according to Healthline, one 85 gram
serving of albacore tuna contains a serious dose of the stuff. Consuming
more of this toxin than your body can handle will potentially result in mercury poisoning.
Per VICE, symptoms of milder cases of mercury poisoning include coloring in the cheeks,
swelling, itching, burning, or even feeling like insects are crawling under the skin.
*Man screams*
More serious cases are signified by heightened blood pressure,
lowered cognitive function, and lung, kidney and visual impairments.
In 2019, the BBC reported that Japanese sushi boss and self-proclaimed tuna king Kiyoshi Kimura paid
$3.1 million for a 612-pound bluefin tuna at Tokyo's first fish market auction of the year.
"Sold to you. Thank you so much, sir."
At the time, Kimura had already been the highest bidder for seven out of eight years. This time,
he paid more than twice his already mind-boggling 2013 bid of $1.4 million.
Such a high bid for the bluefin, which is listed as an endangered species by the World Wildlife
Fund, was reportedly a status symbol, given how low bluefin catches had been in the previous year.
According to Rarest, there are several other expensive tunas that deserve mention.
Firstly,"sashimi-grade" albacore tuna can be served as a mid-range luxury dish,
with filets as big as 10 pounds going for $195. Sashimi-grade albacore is exceptionally rare,
as it's of such high quality that it can be eaten raw.
Although, like lower grades of albacore, yellowfin tuna is also commonly canned,
high quality varieties of this tuna can go $30 per pound, with maximum weights of up to 400 pounds.