Fontaine Tuna

Nearly two thirds of the earth's surface is covered with water. The land mass of all continents, on the other hand, comes to just one third. Because the oceans have a bluish shimmer when viewed from space, the Earth is also called "the blue planet". Curiously, we know more about space today than we do about the deep sea. The oceans have so far revealed few of their secrets. With their seemingly endless expanse and unfathomable depth, the oceans are as fascinating as they are threatening. In ancient times, people suspected that the end of the world was beyond the horizon of the waves. Storms came from the sea and terrible sea monsters dwelled in the dark depths. But because the sea was indispensable as a source of food, a few brave people still ventured out onto the water again and again. As early as the Palaeolithic Age, people went out to sea in hollowed-out tree trunks. The first fishermen stayed close to the shore or at most sailed to the islands within sight. Because of the dangerous open sea, this did not change for thousands of years. From around 7,000 BC, however, ships began to be built in the Mediterranean that could be used to venture further out. The oldest known image of a ship was found in Egypt. It shows a papyrus ship from around 5,000 B.C. The Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl proved in 1970 that such a construction could indeed be seaworthy. He rebuilt a papyrus boat and sailed it from Morocco to Barbados.

At the time of the papyrus boats some seafaring nations started deep-sea fishing because the fish in the warm coastal water were indeed numerous but not particularly large. The really big catch was waiting further out. When the coast was no longer visible, one had to orient oneself by the position of the sun and the stars. Out here, the fishermen in their small boats were fully exposed to the elements. But they could also catch fish that were heavier than sheep. Because of these enormous quantities of meat fishermen accepted many risks and hardships. In ancient times, famines due to crop failures were not uncommon. Because of the fisheries, the coastal towns however were far less threatened than the settlements inland. It is also no coincidence that the most ancient cities were situated at the sea because offshore fishing and sea trade were a solid economic foundation.

Tuna has always been one of the most important food fish. Some species can weigh several hundred kilos. Traditionally, such giant fish were caught with (correspondingly strong) fishing rods. With the beginning of industrial deep-sea fishing, however, this was a thing of the past. From then on, the schools of tuna were increasingly tracked with sonar and caught in gigantic trawl nets. Due to this method, some areas are now literally fished out. In addition, millions of tons of sea creatures end up as so-called by-catch in the trawl nets and on the hooks of longlines every year. Unintentionally, many whales, dolphins, sharks, seabirds and sea turtles also fall victim to the highly technical fishing methods. The injured, dying and dead animals are usually thrown back into the sea. Bottom trawls weighing tons that are dragged over the seabed and coral reefs can also permanently devastate the underwater world and thus the habitat of countless marine animals. To counteract this, environmental groups have long been calling for less damaging fishing methods such as pelagic trawls that do not touch the bottom, the use of round hooks on longlines that turtles cannot bite, and effective control of fishing. Even better would be a return to hand fishing.

Traditional fishing is very important to the Bavarian delicatessen brand Fontaine. Most Fontaine canned tuna contains hand-fished fish. Fontaine's brighter tuna is offered in its own juice, in organic sunflower oil as well as in organic olive oil. Bright tuna goes wonderfully with salads, on pizza or bread. Strictly speaking, skipjack tuna is not a tuna at all, but its closest relative. It therefore "only" weighs a little over 20 kilos. Since it grows quickly and reproduces comparatively early, its stocks are considered relatively safe. The Fontaine tuna skipjack tuna fillet also contains hand-fished skipjack tuna. It is available in its own juice, in organic sunflower oil, in organic olive oil and in organic tomato cream. The refined seasoned, fork-ready tuna salads Asia and Texas are convincing as starters as well as snacks. With the exception of MSC-certified White Tuna, all Fontaine tuna products have been certified by Friends of the Sea for sustainable fishing.