Hidden costs of seafood are shaping the global tuna industry in ways most people never see, and this episode asks why it matters for the ocean, workers, and anyone who buys seafood. Hidden costs of seafood raise a simple but uncomfortable question: if an industry cannot survive without public money, can it truly be sustainable, and who is paying the price behind the scenes?

Tuna fishing subsidies are at the center of this story. Drawing from new peer-reviewed research, this episode breaks down how fuel tax exemptions and government support keep European tuna fleets operating, even when they run operational losses. Without these subsidies, many fleets would struggle or collapse, revealing an economic model that depends on taxpayers while fishing pressure on the ocean continues.

Sustainable seafood myths are challenged by one surprising and emotional insight from this episode: some tuna fleets appear profitable on paper while actually losing money every year without subsidies, meaning the public absorbs the financial risk while ecosystems and fishing communities absorb the consequences. This changes how we should think about sustainability, accountability, and what responsible seafood really means.

Chapters:
00:00 Hidden costs of seafood and the tuna question
01:28 Why tuna is sold as a sustainability success
02:54 What the research analyzed and why it matters
04:12 When profits disappear without subsidies
05:46 Fuel subsidies and taxpayer support explained
07:31 Why governments keep paying for losing fleets
09:18 Jobs, politics, and food security arguments
11:02 How subsidies increase fishing pressure
12:44 The human cost behind industrial tuna fishing
14:06 Why stock health is not the full story
15:22 What real seafood sustainability would require
16:32 The question no one wants to answer

#oceanconservation #MarineBiology #SaveOurOceans #ProtectTheOcean #OceanAwareness #BluePlanet #ConservationMatters #ScienceForChange #SustainableOceans
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