Today we are all looking for more ways to fit more tuna and seafood in general into our diet. While eating fresh seafood is absolutely great, in our fast-paced lives it’s not always possible, or in many cases affordable, for individuals and families. Most people today use the convenience of canned fish products for lunches, salads, casseroles and even a snack right out of the can.
By far, tuna is the most popular choice for most, as it offers very versatile options for simple and quick meals. One concern that has come to the forefront as we try to eat healthier is Mercury content. Many people wonder what the safe limits are, what Mercury is, and how much is safe to consume.
Mercury comes from both natural sources, like volcanoes, as well as man-made sources like air pollution from power plants and other industrial sources that burn fossil fuels.
Once it enters the atmosphere, mercury rains down on rivers, lakes and oceans, where it then enters the food chain. Harvard University research has found that climate change is causing an increase of mercury in seafood, even in types of fish that the EPA and FDA have historically recommended as the best option to eat on a regular basis.
There are no warning labels on canned fish products so it’s pretty much up to us to choose products that offer better control and testing of their products.
The Answer is relatively Simple: Buy Your Tuna from a Sustainable Source That Tests their Product.
Safe Catch Elite Wild Tuna
Safe Catch Elite wild tuna is made with skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) caught in the Western Central Pacific (FAO 71) which are part of the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) skipjack tuna stock.
The most recent Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission assessment of WCPO skipjack tuna shows populations to be healthy and sustainably fished. Using proprietary technology, they are able to test every single fish for its mercury content. If it doesn’t meet the purity standard, they don’t buy it. It still may be a good tuna, but it’s not a Safe Catch Tuna.
The limit for Safe Catch Elite Wild Tuna is ten times (10x) stricter than the FDA mercury action limit. And the limit for Safe Catch Wild Albacore Tuna is two and a half times (2.5x) stricter than the FDA mercury action limit.
Safe Catch Elite only uses free school skipjack tuna that are caught by purse seine boats without the use of fish aggregating devices (FADs).
All the skipjack tuna purchased must be accompanied by a FAD-Free certificate that states the catch was monitored by an independent observer. In order to be certified MSC, all fish must also be fully traceable through the chain of custody, to show it has adhered to MSC sustainability standards at every step of the supply chain.
Considering all aspects of environmental sustainability, FAD-Free purse seining of free school skipjack is among the best methods for ocean health. During each voyage using this method, boats are able to catch a healthier load, reducing the need for frequent smaller fishing trips. When practiced sustainably, FAD-free purse seining reduces carbon emissions and associated cascading effects of climate change and environmental degradation.
Safe Catch’s Mission
Safe Catch provides pure sustainably sourced seafood and helps to protect purity in our oceans, lakes, and rivers.
Providing seafood from well-managed fisheries using sustainable fishing methods is essential to promoting a healthy ecosystem and to conserve populations for the future.
Our sustainability policy focuses on protecting the entire marine ecosystem, and we believe sustainable use requires supporting conservation while reducing our environmental impact.
We have chosen our catch methods very carefully. We are proud to partner with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) and are committed to sourcing all of our tuna and salmon products from MSC certified fisheries! Beginning in 2022, these products will bear the blue MSC-ecolabel, ensuring the highest levels of sustainable and fully traceable product for you.
As a further show of our commitment to sustainability, Safe Catch is an Ocean Wise Seafood Program partner and follows the recommendations of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch® program.
Safe Catch tests each sustainably caught fish to our strict mercury standard, which is published on every package. If it doesn’t meet our published mercury standard, we don’t purchase it. We are the only seafood brand with the technology to test every single fish, and we are the only brand that does.
