Value-added tuna products from a traditional trapping system in the Mediterranean

Carloforte Tonnare utilizes one of the oldest method for trapping tuna, and their traps are some of the only remaining original tuna trapping systems to still exist in the Mediterranean. e trap has a series of chambers through which the blue n tuna must swim through until they are nally captured. is sequencing makes the traps more selective, ensuring that the smaller and younger blue n tuna are not captured.

e shermen are able to see the sh they have caught as they are dragged from the trapping system through the water, and often the shermen can see when they have captured a sh that is too young for harvest, so they can release the premature sh before they are brought on land. And, when tuna under 30 kg are captured, they are released. rough this process, the company works to ensure that their practice is eco-friendly and sustainable. Moreover, the path from the traps to the processing plant is shorter than any other tuna producer in the Mediterranean, so the carbon footprint of the process is limited. e company representative explained that the meat is more tender when the sh is captured in a trapping system compared to sh caught with hooks or nets because it limits the stress that the sh experience. e harvest season takes place only in May and June. After harvesting, half of their sh is processed and canned and the other half is sold live to farmers. e tuna is canned depending on the part of the sh, and all of their tuna is preserved in an oil which is made from a combination of boiled sh and olive oil. is unique oil allows for e cient penetration of oil into the sh, so the sh is cured quickly. e company always processes their sh fresh (it is never frozen), and the pieces of sh are hand selected before they are canned. All the Carloforte tuna is sold within Italy, much of which is sold in Sardinia speci cally.

Carloforte’s canned tuna products are based on sh caught with an ancient system of traps.