The rise of industrial fisheries comes with the fall of local fishermen.
This exhibition shows a conceptual photograph with canned tuna juxtaposed with money. This photograph represents the financial and social struggle of trade fishermen as they are quickly outcompeted by large fishing operations. Canned tuna is cheap, while bluefin tuna is expensive. Bluefin tuna used to be sold as canned cat food, but its price and prestige drastically increased as more consumers developed a palate for fatty bluefin tuna sashimi. Ironically, fishermen who make their livings off of fishing bluefin tuna can only afford to eat cheaper canned tuna.
Western Sicily has a long history of fishing families who relied on bluefin tuna for income and sustenance (Pirkl, 2015). Over centuries, bluefin tuna have been a cultural icon and a symbol of pride for the Western Sicily region. So, the increasing presence of large, industrial fisheries threatens the local fishing economy and culture. Declining bluefin tuna populations and large fishing corporations means that there are fewer job opportunities for artisan “hawkers, middlemen, boat builders, suppliers and retailers of fishing gears, engineers, and scientists” (Pirkl, 2015). Local fishermen in Italy, Portugal, and Spain traditionally use almadraba fishing gear; this equipment has cultural significance, but is labor-intensive and catches fewer bluefin tuna. Industrial fisheries use more efficient purse-seiners to catch a larger quantity of bluefin tuna for a larger profit (Pirkl, 2015). Industrial fishing technology has made it more difficult for local fishermen to compete and make a living, so their families and villages suffer.
Similarly, San Diego, California once had a bustling tuna fishing industry in Point Loma, Little Italy, and Barrio Logan. In the early to mid-20th century, many “Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, and Hispanics families” made their livings off of fishing, packing, and canning tuna (San Diego History Center, 2012). Around 40,000 people worked in this industry. Fishermen mostly used long poles to catch albacore, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna (Showley, 2012). Then during World War II, San Diego tuna boats were repurposed to transport supplies and soldiers. After the war, the Marine Mammal Protection Act further reduced the number of San Diego tuna boats; most fishing was moved to western Pacific and South America (Showley, 2012).
Photo by Ashley Kenney. Writing by Katie Duong.
References
Pirkl, M. (2015). Safeguarding the future of Bluefin tuna in the Mediterranean Sea: How to honour the inherent value of the living being while ensuring sustainable livelihood for people? [Unpublished master’s thesis]. Palacký University in Olomouc.
Showley, R. (2012). Tuna: A San Diego fish story. San Diego Union-Tribune. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/sdut-tuna-san-diego-fish-story-2012jun16-htmlstory.html