• Politics

New Study Finds Warming Waters Pushing Tuna Away from Reliant Pacific Nations

• fisheries
• high seas
• pacific islands
• tuna

by Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer A new study released by Conservation International found that tuna populations will likely be pushed from the waters of 10 Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to climate change. For nations that rely on tuna as a source of food and income, the consequences could be devastating. Conservation International urges the global […]

• Food

At Subway, Eat Fresh What?

• fishing
• health
• ocean
• overfishing
• subway
• sustainable
• tuna

The New York Times’ Julia Carmel did a deep dive into tuna sandwiches from Subway — one of the world’s largest restaurant chains — over a class-action lawsuit claiming that its tuna sandwiches “are completely bereft of tuna as an ingredient.”

Why This Matters:  In the 1980s canned tuna was a staple food found in nearly every pantry in America.  But these days tuna are harder and harder to catch, as the wildly popular Netflix documentary Seaspiracy explained to many who were simply unaware of how their tuna roll or melt was impacting the ocean.

• Ocean

US Fishermen Exempt from Monitoring Requirements During Pandemic

• COVID-19
• fishing
• monitoring and enforcement
• overfishing
• rule
• tuna
• waiver

NOAA Fisheries granted U.S. fishers an emergency waiver of the requirement for observers onboard their fishing vessels for the next 6 months — effectively eliminating monitoring and enforcement of the fishing industry. 

Why This Matters:  NOAA’s waiver provides only a minimal justification — indeed, concerns over the health and safety of fishers would have them stay home rather than risk infecting an entire crew at sea potentially hundreds or even thousands of miles from shore.

• Food

We’re Catching More Tuna Than Ever, What This Means for Your Poké Bowls

• fisheries
• oceans
• seafood
• tuna

Tuna is a popular fish, from lunchtime sandwiches, to trendy poké bowls Americans are eating a lot more seafood and the mighty tuna may be at risk. A new study, published in Fisheries Research has found that the amount of tuna being fished in the world’s oceans has increased by a staggering 1000% over the past 6 decades–a rate that scientists are calling unsustainable. 

• Sustainability

Taking Time Off In August? Summer Book Suggestions

• books
• climate change
• Koch Brothers
• summer reading
• The Revelator
• tuna

If you are taking a few days off this summer or just hoping to do some reading up on environmental issues, there are some great new books to dive into.  Ian Urbina and Tatiana Schlossberg, both of The New York Times, have notable books coming out later this month.