Nutritional information per 100 g

⁕ Calories: 717 Kj / 172Kcal
⁕ Fat: 12 g
⁕ Of which saturates: 1.8 g
⁕ Carbohydrate: 4 g
⁕ Of which sugars: 1.4 g
⁕ Protein: 11.8 g
⁕ Salt: 0.75 g

Conserveira Santa Catarina is based on the Azores island of São Jorge and produces exclusively "dolphin-safe" canned goods, true to its motto: "One man, one rod, one tuna!" This also means that only non-endangered tuna species, such as bonito, make it into the bag ... or rather, the can. All ingredients are locally caught or grown and processed by hand. No artificial additives are used, but plenty of love and care.

What makes Santa Catarina's canned goods special are the finely cut pieces, which are particularly attractive when plated. And in terms of taste, too, this tuna stands out from conventional canned goods: The texture is tender yet firm, and the flavor is delicately fishy without being overpowering – a truly special taste experience!

Manufacturer: Santa Catarina – Indústria Conserveira, S.A.. Rua do Roque, 9 | 9850 – 079 Calheta, Portugal

Salto e Vara

This technique is called "Salto e Vara" with live bait due to the characteristics of the methods based on it and because it uses small live pelagic fish as bait (mackerel, sardines, mackerel, horse mackerel, etc.). As the name suggests, it uses a pole (which varies in size and shape) and the jumping technique, in which the fish is pulled on board with a single movement by jumping. Of course, this maneuver is more difficult with larger fish.

It is an active and dynamic fishing method that searches for tuna schools on the surface of the sea and lures them to the ship with live bait. In this type of fishing, there are two extremely important factors: the great greed of tuna when feeding, which can sometimes lead to feeding frenzy behavior, and the fisherman's ability to outmaneuver the tuna and lure it to his hook.

One aspect of great interest in tuna fishing in the Azores is that it directly depends on another type of fishing, the catching of live bait. In the Azores, this is done with small encircling nets or "enchelavares", which catch small fish near the shore and keep them in large tanks ("Tinos") on the ship. Without these small specimens, it would not be possible to lure the large schools of tuna to the surface.

The importance of Salto e Vara

Tuna fishing with Salto e Vara and live bait is an important part of the social and cultural heritage of the Azores. Given the global community's concerns about the use of non-selective and excessively intensive fishing techniques such as driftnets and trawling, tuna fishing with Salto e Vara and live bait should be recognized as a highly selective form of fishing, as it has no bycatch.

The main reason for this high selectivity is the ease with which the fishing gear used in the Azores is handled by the fishermen. One person normally uses a pole, a line, and a hook to catch only one individual at a time. Due to the simplicity of the equipment, the fisherman can select the target species and thus avoid catching younger fish, non-commercial species, or species that are important for conservation measures.

The NGO (non-governmental organization) "Earth Island Institute" has certified tuna fishing in the Azores as "dolphin-safe" since 1998 as part of its Azores Fisheries Observation Program (POPA). Recently, the same organization certified the same fishery as one of the first worldwide to meet all the criteria for the FOS "Friend of the Sea" certification.