Pole-and-line tuna is the ethical choice, and usually tastes better too.

Yes, pole-and-line is better for both ethics and quality, but the gap isn’t as wide as some tuna snobs want you to believe.

The ethics difference is clear. Pole-and-line fishing is low-bycatch: each fish is caught individually, so you’re not accidentally killing dolphins, sea turtles, or sharks. Purse seine nets are massive walls that scoop up everything in their path. Yes, there’s a “dolphin-safe” label for purse seine now, but it’s far from perfect. If you care about the ocean, pole-and-line is the way to go.

On quality, it’s less black and white. Pole-and-line tuna is usually handled faster and less stressed, which means better texture and less lactic acid buildup. The fish tend to be older and fatter, so the flavor is richer. But a well-run purse seine operation that chills