MARKETING TUNA IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES 

 Arthur M. Sandberg l/ 



Tuna is sold in world markets largely as canned tuna but it is marketed raw 

 and dried in .some countries. As a general rule, only a small part of the tuna catch is 

 consumed as frssh fish. Tuna is also used in specialty products such as antipasto, 

 pastes, and sausages. 



New markets for tuna are opening up all over the world. A growing demand and 

 acceptance of canned tuna and tunalike fish have made tuna one of the important items 

 in w-<rld fish trade. France and Italy have for many years been markets for canned tuna 

 packed in olive oil. Now, other countries, not only in Western Europe but in the Near 

 East and the Far East, are becoming important tuna markets. Japan and Peru, large 

 producers of low-cost tuna, have been able to open up many new canned tuna markets. 

 Their ability to trade has been facilitated by trade and payment arrangements and by 

 being able to deal in currencies other than dollars. 



United States tuna products have par- 

 ticipated to a very limited extent in the 

 growth of tuna markets abroad. There are 

 three basic reasons for this: 



1. The United States market has been 

 expanding and canned tuna has 

 commanded relatively high prices 

 in this country compared with 

 other markets, 



2. Many countries have restricted 

 imports of fishery products from 

 the dollar area; and 



3. Other producing countries have 

 been selling tuna at substantially 

 lower prices. 



In the past year, restrictions on the 

 balance of payments in many countries have 

 been relieved. Dollar balances are larger 

 today than at any time since the end of 

 World War II. Currencies are more freely 

 interchangeable and countries now have 

 greater ability to trade in fishery 

 products. 



1/ Assistant Chief, Branch of Special 

 Reports, Bureau of Commercial Fisher- 

 ies, Washington, D. C. 



For many countries, tuna has been 

 rather high in price for general consump- 

 tion j for that reason it has been con- 

 sidered a luxury product available only 

 to those who could pay the price. With 

 increased production of tuna, prices have 

 remained relatively constant or have even 

 declined. With higher incomes and better 

 standards of living in many foreign 

 countries, tuna has to come to be accepted 

 as a regular item of food. 



Canned salmon and sardines have long 

 been important items in United States 

 fishery export trade (table 1 and fig. l). 

 Small packs in several recent years have 

 reduced this trade; balance -of -payment 

 restrictions have also created barriers 

 to trading. Exports of canned tuna are a 

 small part of our total canned fish and 

 shellfish exports. In 1958, canned tuna 

 valued at $216,000 were shipped abroad. 

 By way of contrast, salmon exports were 

 valued at almost $7 million; sardines, 

 about half that amount. 



About 38 countries bought tuna from 

 the United States during 1957 and 1958 

 (table 2). Of the domestic canned tuna 

 pack, about one case in 800 went into the 

 export market. 



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