Warning signs

In 2011, Atlantic bluefin tuna were classified as endangered. While there are signs populations are recovering – in the UK, an Atlantic bluefin Tuna was caught on the Yorkshire coast for the first time in 60 years earlier this month, and the species has recently returned to the southwest coast – this may be short lived.

Our report uncovers warning signs that the expansion of the tuna farming industry could be contributing to a potential population crisis for the wild species, just years after it bounced back from endangered status.

A booming industry

The number of licensed bluefin tuna farms has boomed over the past two decades, increasing from 13 in 2006 to 123 in 2026. From 2003, the number of tuna farmed each year has risen from up to 55,000 animals to a whopping one million in 2024.

What’s worse, we’ve found that there’s a lack of crucial data on catches, production and trade – making it difficult to understand the true scale of the industry’s expansion.

Draining our oceans

As carnivorous animals, Atlantic bluefin tuna require huge quantities of wild-caught fish as feed. A single farmed tuna could consume up to 3,000kg of smaller fish – that's a whopping 33,000 sardines, or 166,000 anchovies – to produce just 200kg of meat.

These smaller, wild fish are crucial for marine ecosystems and provide food and livelihoods for coastal communities in North and Sub-Saharan Africa.

Dr Elena Lara, our Senior Research and Policy Advisor and report author, said:

Atlantic bluefin tuna are incredible underwater giants. In the wild, they can swim 260 kilometres every day – so it is completely cruel, unnatural, and unsustainable to confine them in sea cages.  

This destructive and unsustainable industry takes wild tuna from our oceans to fatten them on huge quantities of wild-caught fish – mainly to supply luxury sushi and sashimi markets. 

For too long, governments have failed to regulate a sector which is driving environmental harm and severe animal suffering. They must act now to stop tuna farming and commit to keeping tuna wild.

Take action for tuna

The expansion of tuna farming is a warning sign of a much wider problem. As industry interest expands to other carnivorous species such as octopus, we risk accelerating biodiversity loss and further exploiting wild animals and oceans that are already under immense strain.

We are calling on world leaders, including the UK Government, to introduce an immediate moratorium on tuna farms.

Farming Boom Could Put Wild Tuna at Risk