Tuna's Journey

Introduction:
According to their website, Brunswick brand Tuna is produced by Connors Bro’s Company of  Black's Harbour, New Brunswick, Canada. However, elements of the supply chain come from third parties in other countries. For this exercise, the product focused on was their Tuna Flaked in water.

Background on Tuna: 
Tuna are a warm blooded species of saltwater fish belonging to the Scombridae family. They are divided into five sub-genres, Allothunnus, Auxis, Euthynnus, Katsuwonus and Thuunus (Graham and Dickson 2004). They inhabit all of the world's major oceans and are predatory in nature.  Due to their warm blooded make-up, some species of Tuna are capable of reaching speeds in excess of 75km/h (Block and Booth 1991).

Ingredients:
Per the ingredients label, the ingredients of the product were listed as tuna, water, salt and pea and carrot powder. The components were broken up and their sources are detailed below.

1.Tuna
The first and most obvious ingredient is Tuna. The company sources its Tuna from various suppliers across the world. Their supply chain is divided up into five zones managed by five Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (Brunswick 2012):

1. Western Atlantic Ocean

2. Eastern Atlantic Ocean

3. Indian Ocean

4. Eastern Pacific Ocean

5. Western Pacific Ocean

Connor's Bro's Tuna is caught by three main methods according to their website:

1.Purse Seining:- This method accounts for roughly 80% of the Tuna captured. It involves spreading a net around a school of tuna and drawing it in, capturing the school. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=348apH3pe3k)

2. Long lining:- Used mainly on Albacore Tuna, this involves spreading a baited long line with hooks on which the Tuna are caught. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJUwzlW_QPM)

3. Pole and Line Trolling:- This involves chumming the water with live bait such as sardines and pushing the Tuna into a fishing frenzy. Fishermen then toss hooks into the water and catch the tuna. In terms of sustainability, this is most acceptable method. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYS2MkuT_s4)

Tuna fishing can however be a highly dangerous (with several television series being made on the subject) but highly lucrative industry.

2.Water
  The next ingredient on the list was water. The exact source of the water used in processing could not be determined, however it is reasonable to assume that it is drawn from the local municipal source.

3.Pea and Carrot Powder
Next on the list is the Pea and Carrot powder whose origins also could not be verified. However, based on research and looking at the known elements of the supply chain, one can come to the conclusion that it is acquired from a third party who manufactures it and sells it to Connors Bros.

4.Salt
Also could not be verified, but again assumed to come from a third party supplier like the pea and carrot powder.

Processing:

Some of the Tuna, especially from North American based fishermen, is bought directly from the fishermen on the docks.  from countries such as Thailand.
 Upon arrival at the factory, the processing sequence begins with the sizing of the Tuna which sorts them into categories based on their sizes. This helps ensure quality in the product.Next, the Tuna are thawed uniformly in Thawing tanks after which it is pre-cooked at a predetermined temperature in a pressure cooking chamber called a retort which removes the fish oils and prepares it to be skinned and boned. Following cooling in a temperature controlled room, the meat is removed from the fish and then placed into cans via a fully automated process (Brunswick 2012).

Packaging and Distribution:

            Following this, the tuna is bought by packers who package it and then export it to distributors in the various international markets. The local distributor is Amco Limited, whose Divisional Director of consumer products confirmed via email that import in bulk from these packers and then sell to the local retail outlets like Pricesmart, which is where I purchased it.

Environmental Impact:
Tuna production has been known to have several adverse effects on the environment:

1.Overfishing
Overfishing has been a problem in recent times, spurring conservation efforts and catch limitations in some countries. This has been attributed to an increase in demand for Tuna particularly from Asian countries like Japan (McCurry 2007).
Connors Bros claims on its website that they were the first company to initiate sustainable tuna fishing (Brunswick 2012).
There are also efforts to farm tuna in order to cater for the growing demand and reduce the pressure on wild populations (Kim 2008).

2.Impact on Dolphins
Dolphins often swim alongside schools of Tuna and were used by Tuna vessels as a means of spotting Tuna Schools. However, in the process of capturing the Tuna, Dolphins were sometimes unintentionally killed or injured. This has led to the development of, "Dolphin Safe," Tuna fishing and severe international pressure has been put on countries to adopt such methods

Benefits and Impact on Society:
Health wise, Tuna is a good source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids needed for brain function (Brunswick 2012). It is also low in cholesterol and along with all fish is recommended by doctors for those who are on diets. Also, Brunswick also does not use any sort of artificial preservatives in their Tuna products.
There have been issues raised about mercury pollution and its effects on the Tuna population and by extension the people who consume the fish .
 From a convenience standpoint, it allows for the preparation of a quick and relatively healthy meal.  Canned Tuna is an extremely versatile food which can be used by itself, or combined with other ingredients to make Tuna Paste, Tuna Salad or a Tuna Casserole. My personal favourite is actually Tuna and crackers.
Canned Tuna also has a long shelf life and a relatively low price. This allows families to buy in economical bulk packages and store them in their pantries until ready for use.
The Tuna industry is also a source of employment for many people across the planet. 

In summary, Brunswick Canned Tuna products have become a mainstay of the Trinidadian diet and will be around for the foreseeable future.

Limitations of the Study:
A key limitation of this study was the difficulty faced in the acquisition of information. I was only received a response from the local distributor, Amco Ltd. Connors Brothers did not respond to my email. Therefore, several parts of the commodity chain could not be located. However, they were interpolated based on research or omitted.
This raises the interesting philosophical question on our consumption of food. Here I am eating this Tuna on a regular basis without a second thought, and I'm completely unaware of exactly where the ingredients originate from.I do not know where exactly the Tuna was sourced, which species it is or who supplied the other ingredients. Also, who is to say the information obtained through research is accurate? They are all secondary sources of information after all.
This exercise also made it abundantly clear that obtaining data from corporations, particularly on issues related to their business strategies, suppliers and trade secrets can be extremely difficult. There may be legal reasons for the company withholding this information such as it being part of a confidentiality agreement or it being proprietary information.However, corporations in my opinion should refrain from withholding this sort of information from the public as we do have a right to know exactly where our food is coming from.

References:

Block, Barbara A. and David Booth. 1992. “Direct Measurement of Swimming Speeds and Depth of Blue Marlins.” The Journal of Experimental Biology, 166: 267-284.

Brunswick. 2012. “Learn About Tuna.” Accessed February 10, 2014.
http://www.brunswick.ca/learn-about-tuna/

Brunswick. 2012. "Sustainability." Accessed April 8, 2014. 
http://www.brunswick.ca/sustainability-sp/

Brunswick. 2012. "It's a healthy habit." Access March 3, 2014.
http://www.brunswick.ca/it-s-a-healthy-habit/

Graham, Jeffery B. and Kathryn A. Dickson . 2004. “Tuna Comparative Physiology.” The Journal of Experimental Biology, 207: 4015-4024 .doi:10.1242/jeb.01267

Kim, Kang. 2008. “Hot Tuna.” New York Magazine, May 4. Accessed April 11,2014. http://nymag.com/restaurants/features/46633/

McCurry, Justin. 2007. “Japan Warned Tuna Stocks Face Extinction.” The Guardian UK, January  22. Accessed April 10,2014. http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2007/jan/22/japan.conservationandendangeredspecies