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...
Fishing
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”...
Conservationists: Hundreds Of Thousands Of Bluefin In UK Waters
Some parties have said that Brexit has opened up an opportunity for UK fishermen to take part in the conservation of the bluefin tuna fishery. According to the Express Co UK, conservationists...
EU Increases Northern Albacore TAC For 2021
The EU has fixed the total allowable catch (TAC) levels for 2021 for several species of tuna and other fish stocks. The council regulation published on January 28 is applicable in the Union’s...
Over One-Third Of Philippines Origin Skipjack Goes To The EU
The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) has released its full-year fisheries results for 2020 of the country's domestic fleet flying the Philippines flag. The landings of almost all tuna...
NASA Tech Helping To Save Whale Sharks
The precariousness of the whale shark stock, a species in danger of extinction, has led tuna RFMOs and other organizations to set out plans to mitigate its mortality. One of these initiatives...
Spanish Fleet Wants Priority For COVID-19 Vaccination
The Spanish tuna fleet has asked the government to allow its crew priority access to the COVID-19 vaccine. The request considers that tuna fishermen are performing essential jobs. The...
Dozens Of Genetic Markers Show Difference In Pacific Albacore Stocks
Researchers at the Oregon State University (OSU) have learned that dozens of genetic markers in Pacific albacore can help them determine which side of the equator the tuna comes from. The...
Japanese Longline Fishery Gets MSC Logo For 2 Vessels
The Japanese longline fishery, Owasebussan, has officially been certified with the MSC sustainability logo. The decision came after no objections were filed to the final draft report published...
Half Of PNA Members Quit Pacific Islands Forum
Deep tensions in the Pacific region were revealed when five nations of the Micronesian region, Palau, the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI), the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM),...
Pirates Using Tuna Vessel As Mothership In Gulf of Guinea
A hijacked tuna vessel has been reported as being involved in piracy activity in the Gulf of Guinea. The incident comes less than a month after the annual report by the International Chamber...
Dongwon Q4 Results Suffer From Weak Dollar
Dongwon Industries published its numbers for the last quarter of 2020. The financial results were heavily influenced by the won-dollar exchange rate. In Q4 2020, the average rate fell five...