Thanks to the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) in place in the region, the PNA states that its annual revenue from its joint tuna fishery has witnessed significant growth this year, which moves in line...
Fishing
“Immediate Enforcement” Needed On Foreign Crew Laws
A letter signed by four Democratic Congressmen has been sent to the US Coast Guard and NOAA, requesting “immediate enforcement action” over accusations that some of Hawaii’s longline fleet is...
ISSF Puts Bulk Of Responsibility On RFMO Shoulders
ISSF has taken the time to see what difference a year has made in terms of tuna management, reviewing the hits and misses of 2016. Although its members are some of the biggest fishers,...
StarKist Pursues MSC On Doorstep Supply
StarKist is seeking MSC certification on the albacore and yellowfin longline fishery in American Samoa, and now in the first stages of assessment, the expected conclusion date is August 15th,...
Will Vanuatu’s 5 Year Plan Work?
Vanuatu has launched its first fisheries policy, which is intended to provide direction for the next five years, in the nation’s latest bid to realize the potential of its tuna resource, which...
GP: Thai Labor Issues Move To “Lawless Waters”
Labor abuse is still occurring in the Thai fishing industry, according to claims from Greenpeace Southeast Asia, however it believes this has moved to more remote waters, where regulation can...
Cook Islands First To Take More Control Of Longliners
The Cook Islands has become the first island nation in the Pacific to adopt a quota management system (QMS) to control catches of albacore and bigeye tuna in its longline fishery, which comes...
Powerful Tuna Image Wins Best Photo Spot
A striking tuna-centered photo that was taken to support the view that there is a stark situation of overfishing in the South China Sea, has caught the attention of National Geographic judges,...
More FADs In PNA Increases Need For Tracking
FAD management is a major initiative of the PNA and with a growing use of FADs identified in the region, the need for their use to be tracked and managed is said to be increasing. A new survey...
FADs On High Seas Loophole Created By Weak WCPFC?
With little to show for solid action taken at last week’s annual meeting, there is an opinion that the WCPFC is falling behind the other tuna RFMOs in several areas, and that with weak...
Spanish Seiners Under Closer Watch In Cook Islands
Spanish tuna purse seiners in the Cook Islands’ EEZ are about to be monitored more heavily, as an agreement framework between OPAGAC and the Pacific island nation has been outlined, which will...
What’s Next For Pacific Bluefin?
The decision not to take additional conservation steps for Pacific bluefin tuna at last week’s WCPFC meeting has been greeted with dismay by NGOs, and some will now urge stakeholders to stop...
Will Tuna Treaty Help American Samoa?
The South Pacific Tuna Treaty does not bring any apparent special benefits for the American Samoa tuna industry, according to some officials, but there are hopes that a new Trump...
WCPFC: The Consensus Struggle
While there was some important progress on observer safety and skipjack harvest strategies displayed at last week’s WCPFC meeting, frustration still surrounds slow movement on other issues,...
Indonesia Invests Heavily In Tuna Export Boost
Indonesia is making a substantial investment to build integrated fisheries and marine centers on several of the nation’s islands to increase production and export of more fish products,...
STANDPOINT: Asian Nations Stand In The Way Of HCRs
This week we want your opinion on the standpoint: ASIAN DWFNs WILL ALWAYS BLOCK ANY HCRs IN THE WCPFC Let us know what you think about this topic by placing your vote now. The implementation...
Atuna Readers Didn’t Have Faith In WCPFC On HCRs
In our most recent poll we wanted to know what you predicted would be decided on Harvest Control Rules (HCRs) at last week’s WCPFC meeting, asking you if you agreed or disagreed with the...
WTPO Commits To Fair Labor Plan
A big chunk of the global tuna industry has vowed to work together, as the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization (WTPO) has inked a commitment with Thai Union to establish a plan to ensure fair...
More Longliners Added To Expanding Chinese Fleet
China’s tuna longline fleet expansion continues, as four more vessels are set to begin operations, expected to be active in the Pacific Ocean in the first quarter of 2017. The vessels will be...
PNA: Nothing To Gain By Exposing VDS Prices
In response to an EU tabled proposal for increased transparency on licensing, the PNA argues that it has nothing to gain by making trade information, such as prices paid for VDS days,...