Global warming is real and fishermen in Kiribati claim that they are reeling under its impact. They have pointed out natural and man-made disasters are affecting the peaceful lives of locals...
Fishing
Shrinking US Seiner Fleet’s Skipjack Catches Hit 40 Year Bottom
US purse seine fleet captains had an abysmal fishing year in 2021 when their vessels netted rock-bottom levels of skipjack not seen in nearly 40 years, according to the latest WCPFC data. This...
Taiwan Signs New Pact To Deploy Observers On Longliners In Seychelles’ Waters
In a strategic move, Seychelles and Taiwan's longline boat owners signed a deal for multiple fishing contracts for the Asian fleet to operate in the coastal nation's waters from the beginning...
Study Says One-Sixth Of High Seas Fishing Hours Potentially IUU
A study claims that 17 percent of the high seas fishing hours in 2021 were potentially vessels carrying out IUU fishing. It based its findings on the ten-year observation of GPS data of around...
NGOs Demand US To Put Costa Rica Under Microscope
Costa Rica has come under the spotlight for fishing violations. A coalition of over 18 marine organizations presented evidence to the US government proving the allegations – mainly for...
India’s Top Court Allows Purse Seiner Operations Only Twice A Week
The Supreme Court (SC) of India granted approval to mini purse-seiner fishermen in the southern state of Tamil Nadu to fish outside its territorial waters, but under conditions including...
EU Deploys New Patrol Vessels To Crack Down On Pollution And IUU
The European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) introduced three new chartered patrol vessels last week that will strengthen EU fisheries inspection in European and international waters. They...
Taiwanese Seiners’ 2021 WCPO Yellowfin Catches Highest In Decades
Taiwanese captains of the purse seiner fleet in the WCPO experienced excellent skipjack catches in 2021, which propelled the overall volume by 22 percent from the previous year. Yellowfin...
India’s New Deal To Expand Its Longliner Fleets
The state of Kerala in India wants to increase its tuna fishing operations. Last Thursday, it signed a tripartite agreement for the construction of 10 deep-sea tuna longliners (also equipped...
EU Pledges EUR 1 Million For WTO Agreement On Fisheries Subsidies
Last Friday, the EU pledged EUR 1 million (USD 1.08 million) to the World Trade Organization's Fisheries Funding Mechanism aimed at supporting sustainability and combating IUU fishing. This...
Thai Union Makes Some Progress In Longliner E-Monitoring Project
Thai Union (TU) just published its progress report for the first year of a project in partnership with the American NGO The Nature Conservancy (TNC). It stated that it has completed part of...
Commotion Over Yellowfin Loins Imports: EU Rule Explained
The article Atuna published on January 16 on Spanish processors accusing Ecuadorian packers of not following the EU rules evoked a lot of reactions from our readers. The regulations regarding...
ISSF Wants Tougher IOTC FAD Management Rules
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is urging the IOTC to implement stricter rules on FAD management, as the RFMO's measures for these devices have been moving at a...
Korean Seiners Caught Lowest Volume Of Skipjack In A Decade
The Korean purse seiner fleet had one of the worst catch years with skipjack volumes in 2021 plunging to the lowest level in a decade. The vessels supply large quantities of whole round frozen...
Atlantic Yellowfin Catches Nose Dived In 2021
The recently published ICCAT data has revealed that tuna vessels operating in the Atlantic have seen their catches decline over the past years. Seiners were especially affected with a massive...
Tamil Nadu Seiner Fishers Ask Court To Allow Them To Operate
Mini-purse seining fishermen in the southern state of India, Tamil Nadu, have asked the top court to allow them to operate, despite this gear being prohibited, as the tuna fishing season has...
Next Tuna Nearing Opening “Half-Closed Cycle” Farm In Spanish Port
Identifying the potential of the Atlantic bluefin, German initiative Next Tuna is looking to create a large, sustainable tuna hatchery at the southern dock of the Spanish port in Castellón La...
Europêche President Says EU Fishing Deals Are Transparent
The Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreements (SFPAs) between tuna-rich countries and the EU are transparent and form a big part of the blue economy, Javier Garat, President of Europêche...
Hawaiian Fisherman Missing After Tuna Pulls Him Into Depths
A tuna recreational fishing trip went terribly wrong for 63-year-old Mark Knittle. He was hooking a yellowfin when it pulled him into the depths of the water off Honaunau (Big Island) in...
Olen’s Innovative Smart Brine Viewer To Revolutionize Freezing In Seiners
French fisheries company Olen -- set up by tuna industry veterans Gildas and Cyrille Bodilis – has vast experience working with vessels by offering seawater and brine solutions for their...