This is what the Pole & Line logo stands for
Did you know that all our tuna is caught using rod & line methods? We are very proud of this, which is why you can find the Rod & Line logo on all our tuna cans! This way of catching tuna is a traditional method with minimal bycatch and does not damage the seabed. That's why we only work with tuna fisheries that, in addition to being MSC-certified, fish with these methods. These include pole and line, trolling lines, and handlines.
Why is there a difference in bycatch?
By bycatch, we mean fish and other marine animals that are accidentally caught and are therefore not the target species. This can be an immature tuna, another fish species, or another marine animal such as a sea turtle. Tuna fisheries that use longlines or purse seines with Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) have a relatively high amount of bycatch. This is because longlines with hooks stay in the water for a long time, attracting other species. With purse seines using FADs, all fish that gather around a FAD are caught, often including other species.
Tuna fisheries that use rod & line methods have hardly any bycatch. This is because fishermen specifically target a school and use specific bait and hooks that only attract tuna. Furthermore, the fisherman immediately reels in the line and can therefore identify whether the hooked fish is the target species. If not, the fish can be released immediately without being in danger.
How can the rod & line method be so selective?
With the rod & line method, a tuna's hunting instinct is stimulated. This instinct causes them to hunt a school of fish en masse, often called a 'feeding frenzy'. They snap at anything that glimmers even slightly. This is the perfect moment for fishermen to lower their lines with hooks into the water. A feeding frenzy is mimicked by breaking the water surface with water jets from the boat and by throwing live bait into the water. To the tuna, it looks as if the hunted school of fish (the bait) is being cornered and birds are diving into the water to catch fish. The tuna doesn't miss this opportunity and eagerly bites the bait and the fishermen's gleaming hooks. The fishermen reel in the rod immediately when they get a bite.
Rod & Line Logo
The rod and line logo that appears on Fish Tales tuna products.
By placing a clear logo on our packaging, consumers can immediately see that all our tuna is caught with rod & line. This can be the traditional pole and line, trolling lines, or handlines. Trolling lines and handlines are similar to the traditional pole and line. With trolling lines, instead of multiple rods, you have two large rods that extend out from the boat with lines attached. With handlines, you don't have a rod; the fisherman holds the spool with a line directly. Just like with rod & line, with trolling lines and handlines, the catch is brought in one by one, and there is hardly any bycatch. Therefore, these methods fall into the same category and also meet our requirements for bearing the Fish Tales Rod & Line logo.
More info?
Here you can read more about our Rod & Line logo, the requirements we set for it, and how we monitor this!