The French tuna company Sapmer has been re-certified with the Friend of the Sea (FOS) logo. The tuna fishing firm operates mainly in the Indian Ocean (IO) where yellowfin, one of the species...
Fishing
Additional Ban On FAD Sets In WCPO High Seas To Continue
The extra ban on FAD sets in the high seas of the WCPFC convention area will continue. The deadline for the first period of the additional prohibition of these devices is April 1, 2021. For...
PNG’s PM Intends To “Take Back PNG” With New Tuna Plan
"Take Back PNG" is the slogan of a ten-year plan that Papua New Guinea has that should help boost its fisheries sector especially its tuna resources. The country’s Prime Minister aims on...
Better IO Catches Softened Seychelles Skipjack Price
Tuna landings in the Indian Ocean started to pick up during February after the worrisome level registered in January. The good catches have slightly brought down the trading price of whole...
Can Satellite Phones Give Observers “Peace Of Mind” During The Job?
Technology with advanced connections and features can help improve observers' safety and security on board tuna fishing and transshipment vessels, according to Pew Charitable Trusts. The...
Ghana’s Pole-And-Line Sector Near Collapse Says Association
The Ghana Tuna Association (GTA) has warned that the country’s pole-and-line sector has nearly collapsed due to various ongoing challenges. The organization said that currently only six out of...
Study: Newer Seiners Use More Fuel But Sulphur Emissions Greatly Reduced
The structure of the Indian Ocean (IO) tuna purse seiner fleet has changed over the past few decades and larger and newer vessels have increased fuel consumption and emit more air pollution,...
New Zealand Cracks Down On Longliner Using Illegal Gear
A tuna longliner has been seized and its owner was fined in New Zealand after it was discovered that he had not been using the proper fishing gear to protect seabird bycatch. The Tauranga...
Mexican Authorities Rescue Tuna Fishermen Found Floating After Shipwreck
In a lucky turn of events, seven fishermen were rescued yesterday while adrift among ropes and drums in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident occurred after the tuna longliner they were on capsized...
High Local Wages Force Chinese Fishing Firms To Look For Cheap Foreign Labor
The ever-increasing wages of domestic labor in China have pushed tuna and seafood fishing companies to rely more on the foreign workforce for their daily activities. Overall, Chinese fishing...
Should The Purse Seine IO Yellowfin Quota Be Cut?
The debate about cutting the purse seine yellowfin quota in the IO has once again been brought to the fore. Last year, retailers in the EU and UK gave an ultimatum to the IOTC that they would...
Where Is Seychelles Seiners’ Disappearing Bycatch Going?
Tuna purse seiners operating in Seychelles EEZ appear not to be landing their bycatch at the country's port as required. The Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) said that it has started taking...
WCPFC Extends Observer Suspension Through May 15
The WCPFC Chair, Jung-re Riley Kim, has announced the RFMO’s decision to extend for another three months the temporary suspension of the purse seiner observer program until May 15. The other...
Court Orders Sale Of US Crime Boss’s Tuna Longliner
A tuna longliner has become an important subject in a federal criminal lawsuit in the US. A Hawaiian District Court judge has seized and ordered the sale of 90-ft (27.4 m) tuna longliner,...
EU Signs New Fisheries Deal With Gabon
The EU has signed a new fisheries partnership agreement with Gabon for another five years. European tuna vessels and trawlers will have access to Gabon’s waters for an annual financial...
Mauritius Builds IO Tuna Loins Business In US
Afritex Ventures, a company headquartered in Mauritius, has teamed up with American retailer Fresh Thyme Market, to introduce fresh tuna products into the US. The African company has a...
Asda Pledges To Reduce Bycatch In Seafood Supply Chain
UK’s second-largest supermarket, Asda, has pledged its commitment to safeguarding endangered, threatened, and protected (ETP) marine species and prevent them from entering its seafood supply...
IOTC Clash: Maldives Calls For A Massive Yellowfin Cut By EU Seiners
The discussion around reducing yellowfin catches in the Indian Ocean (IO) is going to have some IOTC members butting heads during the upcoming Special Session in March regarding this tuna...
Were Indonesian Pole & Liners Using FADs Illegally?
Indonesia's pole-and-line tuna industry is highly reliant on fish aggregating devices (FADs). Despite this, until very recently, a governmental decree excluded the use of this gear for this...
Europêche: IOTC Must Use Stick Approach On Nations Using Large-Scale Drift Nets
The Association of National Organizations of Fishing Enterprises in the European Union (Europêche) gave a strongly worded statement that the “EU and IOTC parties to stop turning a blind eye”...