A Chinese-declared three month fishing moratorium in the South China Sea is leading to friction, particularly between its coast guards and Vietnamese vessels, as the jurisdiction over the...
Fishing
TV Show Seeks US Tuna Crew For Documentary
US Commercial tuna fishermen in Washington and Oregon are being called on to contribute to a new documentary television series during the 2017 tuna season. “This exciting, new TV series will...
Quarter Of EPO Seiners Eye MSC In 2 Years
By 2019, a major chunk of Ecuador’s tuna purse seine fleet, and some EPO operating US seiners, could have their catch MSC certified. Five large firms have expressed that they are eager for...
UN Calls For “14 Point” Global Action On IUU & Overfishing
On the heels of its Ocean Conference, the United Nations is urging for measures to be taken to ensure international management of the oceans and their vital stocks. Several of the priority...
Fiji Commits To MSC Expansion, Adding Yellowfin
The Fijian government has pledged an expansion of its tuna industry’s MSC certification to include 75 percent of all longline vessels, and extend the current species scope to cover yellowfin...
Ghana Toughens Laws To Address IUU Fears
The Ghanaian government has announced that a review of the nation's fisheries law is underway, and new policies are expected to be in play by the first quarter of 2018, amid concerns over the...
Plummeted Oil Market Could Slow Rise In SKJ Price
While skipjack catch rates are extremely slow for Western Pacific purse seine fleets, one small savior could be the plummeted price levels of crude oil, which represents a substantial cost for...
Fishermen Say They Face Abuse For Battling IUU
Fishermen in Ghana are gearing up against illegal fishing as they are calling on the government to tighten up laws to eliminate the practice in the country’s waters by both domestic and...
Calls For ICCAT To Be Cautious Over Crucial Quotas
Although parts of the industry argue that Eastern bluefin stocks are improving, which they claim is evidenced through the quick exhaustion of the quotas in the Mediterranean year after year,...
Bolton & WWF Ink FIP Partnership To Achieve 7 Year Goal
Italian tuna firm, Bolton Alimentari has signed a four year “international partnership” with WWF, which will see the company invest in existing Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in the...
Some Pacific Islands Still Haven’t Marked EEZs
Some Pacific Island nations are lagging behind their neighbors, and are facing calls to enact an overdue commitment to move beyond provisional maritime boundaries and establish...
Indonesia Exposes Tuna Vessel Tracks To The World
The Indonesian fleet's operations have become more transparent, with the nation making its Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data publically available via online tool, Global Fishing Watch, with...
Frustration Within ISSF About IOTC “Missteps”, Who’s To Blame?
The ISSF stressed some tough demands to the IOTC before it met last month, among which it underlined that strict compliance with purse seine yellowfin catch reductions must be upheld. Were its...
The Looming FAD Ban: Is This Year Different?
Although more fleets have been keen to increase their focus on free-school operations in response to strong market demand, this year’s FAD ban in the WCPO is still expected to have notable...
Palau President: Close 30% Of World’s Oceans
Palau’s President is calling for the protection of 30 percent of the world’s oceans, urging countries to follow in the footsteps of the island nation, which has taken initiatives to close...
Paper Scrapped For Digital Traceability In Thai Fisheries
Moves towards a digitized supply chain and electronic labor protection are underway in Thailand. As part of a pilot scheme, vessels have been installed with satellite connectivity systems, and...
UN Urged To Tackle High Seas Controls
The protection of the high seas is being called for as a top priority at the United Nations Ocean Conference taking place in New York this week. The issue is heavily discussed in the tuna...
10,000 Cases Of Pacific Dumping Uncovered
A compilation of 12-years’ worth of data has revealed that purse seiners are "knowingly" dumping pollutants into the Pacific Ocean on a major scale. This comes after the reports of observers...
Why MSC Opens Debate On Mixed Method Tuna Fisheries
MSC stakeholders have gathered today to debate the issue of mixed method tuna fisheries being sustainably certified for just one aspect of their operations, which several organizations have...
Balfegó Hits Bluefin Limit In Just 6 Days
One of Spain’s biggest bluefin catchers, Balfegó Group, has already completed its allocated share of the species for the fishing season, having hit the limit in just six days. With its...