An experienced naval engineering inspector, Abilio Tomé, said in court that the longline vessels belonging to the Mozambique Tuna Company (EMATUM) were found to have defects and many of them...
Fishing
Forced Early Christmas Break Drives Seychelles Skipjack Pricing
Tuna catching activity in the Indian Ocean (IO) has almost ceased for 2021. Only a few seiners flagged to France, Spain, and Seychelles are still operating and they are expected to stop...
US & China Fighting Over Forced Labor Issues In WTO
US and China are once again at each other’s throats regarding forced labor issues as interim talks are taking place in the World Trade Organization (WTO) over harmful fishing subsidies. Given...
Collapse In WCPO Catches Makes SKJ1.8:BKK Take Off
The value of whole round frozen skipjack has shown fast bullish movement over the past three weeks following a drop in supply to the Bangkok tuna processing hub. Sources are saying that...
Azores Govt Compensating Albacore Fishers For Lack Of Storage
The government of Azores will be financially compensating tuna fishers for landing their albacore catches in ports other than the ones where their boats are registered. This is because of the...
Why Is The Price Of WCPO Skipjack Not Going Down?
The price of WCPO skipjack has been staying at a higher value than in the last couple of years. This has been fueled by a drop in fishing effort in this ocean, according to information...
Only A Fraction Of MSC Certified Tuna Volume Reaches Consumers
The 2021 MSC annual report showed that the volume of products with the sustainable label increased by more than 50 percent compared to the previous year. The biggest growth was recorded in the...
Lack Of Data & Fishing Fleet Interests Blocking WCPFC Decisions
Ensuring an agreement is reached regarding tuna conservation management measures (CMMs) between Pacific Island countries and distant water fishing nations (DWFNs) has always been challenging...
Wespac Accused Of USD 1.24 Mil In Questionable Use Of Funds
A federal audit by the US Department of Commerce has found that Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (Wespac) claimed questionable costs in the expenditure of its funds....
Will WCPFC Members Listen To Scientists On HCR For Skipjack?
Sixty-one percent of the global catches of skipjack (the most consumed tuna) is taken from the WCPO, the largest tuna fishing ground in the world. Even though skipjack is an extremely...
Spanish Albacore Fishing Reopens: Quota Left Unused
The 2021 Atlantic albacore fishing season in Spain was closed in mid-August by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing, and Food. This meant that at the time it became the shortest campaign in...
Ecuador: Cheap Chinese Loins To Replace Whole Round WCPO Tuna?
Some Ecuadorian canned tuna processors have started importing significant quantities of frozen pre-cooked loins from China. This year in particular, trade of this product has skyrocketed in...
Kiribati Opening Marine Protected Area For Tuna Fishing Controversial
In what could be called a shocking move, the government of Kiribati has decided to lift the closure of the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA) and allow tuna fishing to take place in one of...
A Combined Maritime Zone In Africa Could Combat IUU Fishing
Tackling illegal fishing in Africa’s waters needs to be a priority, and a combined maritime zone among the countries in this continent might be a way to combat the problem, according to some...
Small-Scale Atlantic Fishers Want Seiner Fleets To Pay For FAD Pollution
Small-scale fishers in the Atlantic region want the EU to tighten the regulations on industrial fishing in the Atlantic Ocean, to ensure that bigeye tuna stock improves. They also want fleets...
La Niña Pushes EPO Catches To 10-Year Q3 Peak
Despite reports of low catches in the EPO, IATTC data shows that the cumulative captures up to the end of the year’s third quarter (Q3 2021) have reached the highest point in at least the last...
Will WCPFC Agree On HCRs In Upcoming Meeting?
The lack of harvest control rules (HCRs) in the WCPO has been a hot topic for years now. However, the issue has become even more urgent after MSC released an official warning in July to...
Maltese Fishers Unhappy With Tuna Firm For Paying Tunisian IUU Fines
Maltese fishermen are miffed with their government’s decision to have given too low a fine to two Tunisian-flagged IUU fishing vessels. They are also unhappy that these boats' fine was paid...
IATTC Second Veda Starts On Heels Of Poor EPO Fishing
This past Tuesday, the second IATTC fishing closure of the year started in the EPO. This means that around 130 purse seiners with capacity from 182 M/T and up will have to stop operations for...
RD Fishing Tuna Supply Chain First To Get Best Seafood Practices Cert
The 12 tuna fishing vessels forming the fleet of Filipino company RD Fishing Group have recently become the first purse seiners to be certified by the Responsible Fishing Vessel Standard...