Growing demand for planet-friendly, affordable protein helped Canada sell 93.5 million cans of Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified sustainable tuna last year, according to the non-profit organisation.
The new MSC Canada Tuna Report finds he past two years saw a 582% increase in the volume of MSC-certified tuna sold in Canada – from 1,907 tonnes in 2022 to over 13,000 tonnes in 2024. Of this volume, 99.5% was sold in cans.
MSC Canada said the growth was spurred thanks to sustainable sourcing commitments from two category leaders – Ocean’s and Clover Leaf Seafoods – with additional products also offered by Raincoast Trading, Walmart Canada (Great Value), Loblaw (President’s Choice), and Sobeys (Compliments).
Canada now ranks 5th globally in sales of MSC-certified tuna, by volume.
“The soaring popularity of sustainable canned tuna is positive news from an ecological, socioeconomic, and food security perspective,” MSC Canada Programme Director Kurtis Hayne said. “Canadian partners like Ocean’s and Clover Leaf are helping to transform the way we fish and consume tuna.”
With 73% of Canadian seafood purchasers agreeing that we should purchase fish and seafood only from sustainable sources, and about 50% reporting they purchase canned seafood “often”, Hayne said that increased demand is paving the way to a wider and more accessible range of sustainable seafood products available to consumers.
Citing International Trade Center (ITC) analysis, the report states that in 2023, Canada imported tuna from more than 43 countries, worth approximately USD 214 million. It also advises that tuna now outpaces all other species of fish or seafood sold as MSC-labelled in the country, accounting for 60% in weight terms.
According MSC, the global tuna market is worth approximately $42 billion and projected to grow to $54 billion by 2032. Meanwhile, the volume of tuna meeting MSC’s standard for sustainable fishing increased from 100,000 tonnes in 2012 to 1.6 million tonnes in 2023 – a 1,600% rise in supply.
Globally, 182 tuna fisheries are engaged in the MSC programme, representing 53% of global tuna catch, while more than 200,000 tonnes of MSC-labelled canned tuna are sold worldwide.
