The consultation period for the objection submitted against the OPAGAC MSC assessment in the WCPO was scheduled to end last week. However, the independent adjudicator has extended it until...
Fishing
WCPFC Extends At-Sea Transshipments Measure Until March 2022
The WCPFC will be extending the provisional measures temporarily allowing at-sea transshipments for purse seiners and the suspension of observer coverage for these vessels until March 15,...
Maldivian Fishermen Demand Better Yellowfin Prices
Last week, the Maldives fishermen from the Bodu Kanneli Masverige Union (BKMU) held a rally to voice their concerns about yellowfin fishing in the country. They are asking for better value for...
Cocos MPA Expansion Going Ahead Despite Fishers’ Opposition
The expansion of the Cocos Marine Conservation Area (ACMC) in the Costa Rican EEZ is moving forward despite strong opposition from the tuna fishing sector. In early November, the Ministry of...
US Tuna Fishers Want Homeland Security To Get More Involved With Pacific Islands
The outcome of negotiations at last week's WCPFC meeting was a great disappointment for US tuna fishing companies. Now they are urging the US government to embrace a new geopolitical strategy...
Devaluation Of Sapmer Shares Seems Unstoppable
Publicly listed French fishing company, Sapmer, has seen its share value take an erratic course in 2021. The company's 2020 results and the sale of two tuna purse seiners did not reassure...
OPAGAC: More Time Is Needed To Fully Adopt Biodegradable FADs
The Spanish fishing companies grouped as OPAGAC have said that more time is needed before the fleet can fully adopt biodegradable FADs (bio-FADs). In a statement, the organization claimed that...
Indian Ocean Squid Vessels Possibly Catching Tuna Illegally
Vessels in the Northwest Indian Ocean (NWIO) squid fishery might be illegally catching tuna and tuna-like species. This is according to a report released by Trygg Mat Tracking (TMT), a...
CNFC To Renew Its Tuna Longline Fleet
Chinese tuna company, CNFC, intends to raise around CNY 400 million (USD 62.7 million) to renew and expand its longline fishing fleet. On December 4, the firm made the announcement saying that...
OPAGAC Gets EPO Yellowfin MSC Certified, But Fails On Skipjack Assessment
No objections were submitted for the MSC certification of the Spanish-owned OPAGAC fishery in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), thus the MSC logo has been granted to the yellowfin catches as...
Peruvian Fishers Blame Ecuadorian Fleet For Taking Their Tuna
A union of Peruvian tuna fishermen has accused the Ecuadorian fleet of taking most of the tuna in the country’s waters, leaving national vessels with only around 30 percent of the annual...
NGOs & Tuna Sector Deeply Disappointed Over WCPFC Meeting
Numerous stakeholders (especially NGOs) and even retailers have expressed disappointment bordering on contempt regarding the WCPFC meeting which concluded on Tuesday. The Marine Stewardship...
Albania Starts Exporting Tuna To Japan
Albania has started exporting farm-raised bluefin to Japan. Last week, the Albanian Prime Minister, Edi Rama, was accompanied by the Japanese Ambassador, Takada Mitsuyuki to witness the...
Higher License Fees For EU Seiners Flagged To Seychelles
The island nation of Seychelles has announced that it will increase the annual license and authorization fees for purse seiners flying its flag in the Indian Ocean (IO). From next January 1,...
IATTC & WCPFC Greenlight Increase Of Pacific Bluefin Catch Quota
The Pacific bluefin catch quotas are set to be increased next year after both the IATTC and the WCPFC greenlighted the move. Countries like Japan have been asking for higher limits for years....
Kiribati Repatriates 141 Fishermen From Fiji
The government of Kiribati recently repatriated 141 of its seafarers as they were stranded in Fiji due to COVID-19 restrictions and border closures. These fishers often work on board...
Ecuador Cries Discrimination, Wants Full Membership In WCPFC
Ecuador wants full membership in the WCPFC, according to a letter that it submitted to the Commission today. The country said that it has expressed its desire to become a full member at...
WCPFC Meeting Ends With No Harvest Strategies, For Skipjack Possibly By End Of 2022
The WCPFC 2021 annual meeting has ended without any harvest strategies consensus for tuna stocks in the WCPO. Given that this is the world’s largest tuna fishing ground with 54 percent of the...
Sapmer Appoints Purchase Manager For Its Tuna Division
Rabâa Mansour has been appointed as Purchasing Manager for Sapmer’s tuna division effective September 2021. She joined the company as a Purchaser in December 2020. In her new position, she is...
Aldi USA’s Tuna Sustainability & Human Rights Policies Rank Best In Greenpeace Report
American supermarkets are failing on human rights and sustainability within their tuna supply chains claims the latest report by Greenpeace USA. None of the 16 major retailers surveyed for the...