Hooked on tuna: People have been harvesting these ocean predators for 44,000 years

For millennia, people have found ways to locate, catch and share tunas. LUNAMARINA/iStock via Getty Images Plus

From a humble mayonnaise-laden sandwich to an expensive piece of sashimi, tuna is a prized source of food for people around the world. Once an inexpensive, easily shipped canned protein source, today’s bluefin tunas can fetch millions of dollars at auction. Millions of tons of tuna are harvested every year, supporting a global industry worth around US$40 billion annually.

But tunas are more than just the pink flesh found in cans and sushi, and humanity’s story with these fish goes back further than you might expect.