The Taiwanese fishing and trading company FCF has announced new MSC assessments for two of its longline fisheries which have been under a Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) for the past two...
Fishing
What IO Fishermen Report, Different From What They Do
Sometimes, where fishermen say they go fishing is different from where they actually sail. A study by researchers from the Zoological Society of London’s (ZSL's) Institute of Zoology, the...
GrupoMar Orders Second Seiner From Spanish Shipyard
The Spanish shipyard Armón has been selected to build a new purse seiner for the Mexican tuna fishing company GrupoMar. The vessel will be 80 meters long and will be able to carry around 1,200...
Former IATTC Director Says One More Year Without FAD Measures Unacceptable
Purse seine tuna catches (especially skipjack) in the EPO have increased more than ever before due to the number of FADs and conservation measures are needed to control these devices. This was...
Port Congestions & Lack Of Vessels Cripple Reefer Tuna Trade
Tuna businesses will have to put up with the reefer container shortage for many more months before some form of normalcy is reached next year, according to a shipping industry expert from...
Five Tuna Longline Fishermen Missing After Onboard Fight
Fiji's Navy has started a search for five crew members of the Fiji-flagged tuna longliner ‘FV TIRO II. The search was initiated after a report was received that six men went overboard after a...
Navy Starts Hunt For Kidnappers Of Tuna Purse Seiner Crew
The hunt for a group of eight pirates was initiated after they kidnapped five crew members of a tuna purse seiner operating in Ghanaian waters. The criminals also hijacked and and raided the...
ILO: States Can Leverage Maritime Rules To Help With Crew Changes
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has been working on addressing labor issues during the pandemic for the tuna and maritime sectors in general. Brandt Wagner, Unit Head for Transport...
Ecuador FAD Fishery’s Yellowfin Catches Up While Mexicans’ Down In Q1
Yellowfin catches in the EPO have been very good this year, compared to other tropical tuna. The Mexican industry is well-known for targeting large specimens of this tuna while other fleets,...
Call To UN For Urgent Vaccinations Of Tuna Crews In The Pacific
There has been a call made for an “immediate vaccination” of all tuna fishermen in the Pacific region amid the threat posed by the global pandemic to the people and economies of island nations...
Hawaiian Longline Fleet Allege Intimidation By Chinese Vessels
Hawaiian tuna longlining fishermen have reported seeing an increasing number of Chinese vessels near the islands and have accused them of intimidation tactics. Eric Kingma, Executive Director...
Chile Wants Geographical Indication For Its Tuna In The EU
The EU and Chile are currently negotiating the terms of a new Modernised Free Trade Agreement. The South American country wants the Geographical Indication (GI) of its tuna from Easter Island...
Have Greenpeace Campaigners Turned Into Diplomats On Tuna?
Greenpeace used to be known for being very active in the tuna industry but has largely disappeared from the scene in the past few years. Has the global environmental action group lost its...
Poor Weather Affecting Yellowfin Catches In Gulf Of Mexico
Bad weather coupled with ongoing COVID-19 related restrictions have slowed down yellowfin catches in the southeast of the US. However, despite low production, tuna prices are around the same...
India’s Tuna Exports Suffer Big Drop To Main Destinations
India has 1.36 billion inhabitants, an EEZ covering 2.02 million sq km, and a coastline of 7,516.6 km. It contains diverse fish stocks but tuna and tuna-like species catches take place...
WWF Calls 100% Observer Coverage For All Tuna Vessels To Protect Sharks & Rays
Environmental non-profit WWF has urged contracting parties of tuna RFMOs to take urgent action to prevent further depletion of endangered shark and ray stocks. Andy Cornish, Head of the NGO’s...
Chagos’ Natives Sue British Crown For GBP 1 Billion Over Loss Fishing Rights
The UK has been hit with a billion-pound lawsuit by the natives of the Chagos Islands who are demanding compensation for the loss of fishing rights in their own waters. This Indian Ocean (IO)...
Skipjack Catches Down In EPO While Yellowfin Stays Strong In Q1
Tropical tuna catches in the EPO experienced a substantial drop during the first quarter of this year compared to the record-high level registered during the same period in 2020. The skipjack...
Bill Introduced Giving US Power To Fight IUU
This week the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives. If it passes, the bill will give US authorities more power to fight IUU...
Incomplete FAD Data Continues To Plague IATTC Decision Making?
Currently, the IATTC’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is holding its annual meeting which ends today. Leading up to the virtual gathering, the RFMO staff made its recommendations. One of...