The investigation by Emma Elliott Smith, Torben Rick, and 18 global specialists tracks human interactions with tuna spanning 44,000 years of harvesting. To reconstruct this long-standing relationship, the collaborative team synthesized ancient artifacts, written records, ethnographic accounts, and physical tuna bones found at archaeological sites. Today, modern fisheries land millions of tons each year to support an industry valued at roughly $40 billion. The fish remains a vital global staple, sustaining markets for affordable canned goods as well as premium auction bluefins worth millions.
Key points
Scientific evidence reveals that tuna harvesting has served as an essential human food so…: Scientific evidence reveals that tuna harvesting has served as an essential human food source for tens of thousands of years.
Archaeological materials including rock art, ancient paintings, and excavated fish bones…: Archaeological materials including rock art, ancient paintings, and excavated fish bones demonstrate the deep cultural impact of tuna.
The current commercial market encompasses products ranging from inexpensive canned fish t…: The current commercial market encompasses products ranging from inexpensive canned fish to individual auction bluefins worth millions of dollars.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
People have been harvesting these ocean predators for 44,000 years.
A school of tuna in the open ocean. Adobe Stock.
From a humble mayonnaise-laden sandwich to an expensive piece of sashimi, tuna is a prized source of food for people around the world. Once an inexpensive, easily shipped canned protein source, today's bluefin tunas can fetch millions of dollars at auction. Millions of tons of tuna are harvested every year, supporting a global industry worth around US$40 billion annually. But tunas are more than just the pink flesh found in cans and sushi, and humanity's story with these fish goes back further than you might expect. As a biologist and an archaeologist interested in long-term human-environment interactions, we wanted to investigate the deep record of people's relationship with tunas. We drew on the expertise of 18 leading researchers worldwide and studied a variety of sources, from the skeletal remains of tunas in archaeological sites to ancient rock art, paintings on frescos and vases, written historical records and ethnographic accounts from…
Emma Elliott Smith is a Research Associate in Anthropology at…
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