Letter to the Editor: Distinction needed in reports about tuna

— OPINION —

I am frustrated that Consumer Reports and other companies will not distinguish us and other small producers who offer a premium troll caught canned tuna. Yes it costs more money and no it is not in every store in the US. Since our tuna is canned in the USA, it is going to cost more money to be produced and is produced under more strict processing standards.

Not all albacore in the can is the same either. We offer you young and fatty, low mercury, high omega 3, sustainably caught albacore tuna.

Our very professional crew is paid well. This of course adds to our cost of production.

Albacore tuna migrate out of our fishing zone into tropical water at age 3-5 approximately. This fact largely explains how it is that we are catching ONLY the young albacore (under 5 years old.)

This is one of the most sustainable fishing methods in the world, virtually no other species are caught using this method. If you purchase less expensive tuna from big producers, generally you are purchasing longline caught tuna. Longline fishing catches the older larger albacore (and significant other species) in tropical water. These albacore have been collecting mercury throughout their 15-20 year life and have built up mercury in their system.

We do test our tuna for mercury, our results are posted on our website tunatuna.com.

Not all albacore are the same. I fished albacore on the St. Jude for 15 years, throughout that time I observed that the albacore we catch are small (a good trip average is 15 lbs per fish.) Further testing has indicated that these fish have high omega 3 and selenium.

We understand and regret that not everyone can afford to buy canned tuna processed in the United States that is caught by fishermen who are paid fairly. But we want to create awareness that cheap tuna is a bad thing on many levels.

You can tell the difference between these pictures, ours is the canned tuna on the right. The fat from the tuna is glistening and

The meat is solid since the fish is cooked from raw in the can. You will notice that the muscle in the “other” can is seperated, this is because the fish is conventionally processed – pre cooked (whole) before filling the can. In this method the fish is steam cooked while round (to avoid the expense and loss of recovery implied by filleting.) The effect of this processing method on the flavor and content of the meat is unavoidable.

Our tuna is properly handled and canned in the United States. Thank you all for your support.

Joseph and Joyce Malley St. Jude tuna