Tuna fishing is a large industry in the port cities of Guayaquil and Manta. Ecuador belongs to the Eastern Tropical Pacific, a strip that runs from southern tip of California to the northern portion of Chile, and supplies the second largest portion of tuna to the world. In 2003, Ecuador was second only to Mexico in the number of tuna fishing vessels in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. Companies like Bumble Bee, Chicken of the Sea and Starkist supply their canned tuna empire with fish caught off the coasts of Ecuador.
North of Guayaquil lie several small fishing villages, whose population derive much of their diet from the Pacific waters. Natives of these communities set out on the ocean on balsa rafts to make their daily catches. Fishing has been a livelihood for native Ecuadorians for over 5,000 years, when the Valdivia people lived and fished using rafts and sails near what is now known as Salango.
Ecuador has a large tourism industry, in part because of its miles of pristine beaches and resort areas. Tourists looking for fishing adventure can book a cruise with several Ecuadorian companies to test their skill at acquiring tuna. Warmer water around the Galapagos Islands makes for excellent tuna fishing, and some companies even set sail with their fishing tourists from Galapagos ports. Calmer waters between the months of January and June tend to make for better fishing expeditions.
The Ecuador tuna fishing industry is not without its controversy. In June of 2009, a fishing vessel from the town of Manta was allegedly fishing inside the protected waters of the Galapagos Marine Reserve. In addition to the tuna found in its net, other sea animals, including sea turtles, were discovered. Ecuadorian tuna fishing has also faced controversy for the dangers it has presented to dolphins since the 1950s, as well as sudden drops in tuna populations as reported in 2004.
While tuna fish is purported for being a high-protein, low-fat healthful food choice, tuna fish caught off the coast of Ecuador far exceeds the industry average. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reports an average mercury concentration of .118 parts per million (ppm) in light tuna fish, Ecuadorian tuna fish averages more than six times that at .754 ppm. Pregnant women and children need to be especially cautious of mercury consumption.
