The fatty belly of bluefin tuna, otoro in Japanese, is one of the most prized cuts of perhaps the world’s most prized variety of fish. Sold for astronomical prices at Tokyo fish markets and served by sushi chefs the world over, bluefin tuna were wildly overfished in the late 1990s and 2000s, bringing the population of Pacific bluefin tuna to 2 percent of its historical population size. The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch placed the species on its red (avoid) list for anyone who hoped to eat seafood sustainably.
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Now, thanks to the coordinated efforts of the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service and similar groups in Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Taiwan, and several Pacific island countries, Pacific bluefin has rebounded, moving onto the yellow (good alternative) list. All countries involved agreed to reduce the fishing pressure, specifically on juvenile fish, allowing them to reach maturity. In 2017, leading chefs on five continents also pledged to keep Pacific bluefin tuna off their menus until the precipitous decline in the population was reversed.
The new yellow-rated assessment means that chefs can once again serve this delicious staple and its most coveted cut without feeling as though they’re causing harm to the wild population.
Drew Deckman, a Michelin-starred chef with several restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe, has been an active member of Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch’s Blue Ribbon Task Force since 2019. He says he hasn’t served bluefin tuna on any of his menus in over a decade, but now he’s beginning to incorporate it on the menu of 31ThirtyOne, his San Diego restaurant.
“Last year, there were an incredible number of bluefin tuna in the waters off Southern California, and they showed up earlier and stuck around longer than usual,” Deckman says. “Bluefin are migratory, and normally, it’s a January-to-April kind of thing, but last season, they were here starting in November 2023 and stayed until the week before the news came out—almost like they knew the new data was coming.”
Even with the new yellow rating, Deckman continues to approach bluefin tuna with caution, using it sparingly, purchasing it mostly from local fishers. “We’ve got a very limited number of degrees between capture and consumption here, which is a real privilege, and most people don’t have that,” he explains.
At Wrench & Rodent Seabasstropub in Oceanside, chef Davin Waite only serves Pacific bluefin tuna that’s been hook-and-line caught locally. He doesn’t always have it on the menu, but when he does, he makes sure to use every bit of the fish, from yakitori hearts and liver mousse to Kentucky-style fried tuna heads.
“It was the mentality of needing to have tuna on the menu all the time, no matter what, that got us in trouble in the first place,” Waite says. Now it’s about making each fish go as far as possible.
Waite purchased a steak locker during the pandemic to dry-age fish more precisely, which has helped him to extend the lifespan of whole tuna. He might get a 200-pound tuna, serve half of it the first week, and dry-age the rest for the future.
“It gets better with time,” Waite says. “When you dry-age a fish, the eyes are just as clear as the day you put it in there. The bones make a better stock, and if you marinade it right, certain cuts can taste just like steak.”
A yellow rating is a step in the right direction, but it’s still not a green light for overconsumption. As consumers and diners, we each vote with our dollars. Ask where your fish is coming from, and trust chefs like Waite and Deckman to introduce you to lesser-known but more-sustainable seafood (anchovies and albacore, anyone?) so that the bluefin tuna you know and love won’t disappear entirely from menus—and oceans.•
Amber Gibson grew up in Chicago and graduated from Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism but is a California girl at heart. She spends 340 nights a year in hotels and covers travel, food and wine.
