Just four of the 30 largest tuna-fishing companies in the world disclose their catch data, and more than half of these companies’ catches are completely untraceable, according to a new report compiled by nonprofit financial think tank Planet Tracker.
Planet Tracker’s study, “Tuna Turner: Investors Must Turn Up Transparency in the Tuna Industry,” references Global Fishing Watch data to determine catch volumes by species and region for 2,153 industrial vessels fishing tuna globally, attempting to fill the gaps left by the undisclosed data.
The study found that the aforementioned 30 companies are responsible for around 46 percent of global tuna catch annually and mainly comprise Spanish, Korean, Chinese, and Japanese firms.
Additionally, just one of the 30 companies – Bolton Group – discloses data on the species caught, location, catch methods, and certification levels of its tuna catch, according to Planet Tracker.
Since most of the companies don’t disclose their catch, the organization’s study relied on satellite signals to create estimates for each firm on a vessel-by-vessel basis...
