By: Suchita Vanguri
From salads to sushi, tuna is the second most popular seafood product in the United States, with the market size reaching around $3 billion in 2023.
But why? The 1900s were a time of huge conflict for the entire world. As a direct result of this conflict, immigration policies changed rapidly, reflecting the US’s allies and adversaries. Some notable events include American responses to Pearl Harbor in 1941 and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s executive order relocating over 100,000 Japanese Americans to internment camps.
The internment order had a major impact on the American attitude toward East Asians. The idea that “Japan is the enemy” permeated the United States. This belief can be traced through almost everything from this time period—from racist imitations of East Asians in media to government actions against those of Asian descent. In 1948, Truman issued reparations for Japanese populations affected by internment. Four years later, Japanese immigration was made legal again with the withdrawal of the 1924 Immigration Act.
Though American attitudes towards East Asians remained mostly negative for decades after, the development of Asian enclaves– such as Chinatown and Japantown– embodied the increase in immigration amidst the cultural tensions. These ethnic pockets would remain a safe haven for immigrant populations and foster cross-cultural interactions. Restaurants in these areas began to attract patrons in surrounding areas, thus spreading their distinct flavors. Through this culinary exchange, tuna—one of the primary fish in Japanese cuisine—made its way onto the American plate.
The growth of East Asian communities in the United States facilitated the spread of tuna-based dishes into mainstream American sensibilities. In 1989, the available amount of canned tuna rose to almost four pounds per person due to growing consumer demand.
Ecological surveys show that the rapidly increasing demand for Atlantic bluefin tuna is met with a race to meet it, directly resulting in the overfishing and overextension of existing fisheries. In order to maximize their profits and supply, fisheries have developed techniques to harvest as much meat as possible while keeping costs low. One of these techniques is “purse-seine,” which uses nets to trap lage schools of bluefin tuna. The technique often ends up catching and killing dolphins and other sea animals by accident. These nets primarily target juvenile bluefins so that they can be raised, bred, and harvested in a commercial setting more efficiently. Despite being profitable, this practice applies ecological pressure to the tuna’s environment. As younger tuna are taken away from their habitats in vast amounts, there is an overall decline in tuna populations.
As a major predator within their environment, the bluefin tuna’s absence has major consequences on all other species. Besides these environmental impacts, there are also social and cultural impacts. Many East Asian states, especially island nations, rely heavily on seafood products as a key part of their diet and as valuable export goods. However, the sharp increase in global tuna demand has caused suppliers, especially small-scale fishers, to struggle to have competitive supplies. As larger distributors employ unsafe methods and are able to buy out local fisheries, the space in the market for small businesses vanishes. Even in Japan, where fisheries are a major part of the economy, locals’ ability to independently meet their seafood needs is waning. Although overfishing and increased consumption will be hard to reverse, there have been some initiatives such as the United Nations’ strides to reduce the stress on fisheries.
Humanity’s relationship with the ocean has been complicated and unhealthy—we rely heavily on its resources but are unable to maintain safe and sustainable practices in acquiring such resources.
Tuna is just one very narrow example of this issue. Many well-known historical events have played important and unexpected roles in spurring cultural change: the tragedy of 9/11 on the development of popular book and movie series Twilight, World War II and its effect on box cake mix. Global policies and culture are intrinsically interlinked with the physical world around us. Every step we take and every political action has a massive impact on the legacy that we leave future generations. It’s essential to recognize that all issues, at their core, will intersect in some way. Of course, it is impossible to find a “one size fits all” solution, but understanding that every action we take will have a different, reciprocating response is essential as we move forward. These butterfly effects are everywhere.
