The IATTC annual meeting is currently ongoing and the interim minimum standards on electronic monitoring (EM) on vessels have been discussed and recommendations on sharks, and FADs have also...
Fishing
MSC Criticized For Turning Blind Eye Towards Forced Labor On Tuna Boats
A UK-based ocean science journal recently published a paper that bashed the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) for not taking adequate steps to address forced labor on tuna vessels. The study,...
2023 Pole-And-Line WCPO Catches Hit Bottom In Nearly 50 Years
Pole-and-line catches in the WCPO dropped to the lowest level in the past five decades in 2023. Japanese and Indonesian fleets accounted for nearly all of this activity in this part of the...
‘A Bowl Of Tuna’ Is Back In Isla Cristina
The Spanish coastal town of Isla Cristina is hosting the annual open-air exhibition ‘A Bowl of Tuna’ and the 22nd Almadraba Captains Meeting from September 8 to 15. It is organized by the...
Spain’s Mechanism To Optimize Atlantic Bigeye Quota Begins
The Spanish government recently launched a measure to optimize bigeye quota in the Atlantic Ocean as per ICCAT regulations. All the vessels that have exhausted their limits can continue...
Vietnamese Producers Protest Over Skipjack Size Regulation
Vietnamese fishing industry stakeholders demanded that the regulation stating skipjack must be minimal 50 cm has jeopardized their businesses and the livelihoods of fishers. The Department of...
Staff Recommends IATTC To Improve Data Collection To Manage FADs And Their Impact
The annual meeting of the IATTC begins today in Panama City. Topics such as harvest strategies of several tuna species, bycatch mitigation, and FAD management and its measures are on the...
Major Global Highlights August 2024
August was an exciting month for the global tuna industry with several sweeping events. The Maldives government announced that it will reopen the yellowfin longline fishery which raised...
FCF Wants MSC For Its IO Longline Albacore Fishery
Taiwanese tuna company FCF is pursuing an MSC certification for its longline albacore catches in the Indian Ocean and Mauritius EEZ. The CAB, SCS Global Services, published the Announcement...
EPO 2023 Volumes Rose To Record Levels With Seiners Setting On FADs
Total tuna catches in the EPO hit an all-time-high in 2023, driven by peak skipjack volumes and yellowfin numbers, according to the latest IATTC report. Fish caught on FAD and dolphin sets...
Maldives President Overturns Cabinet’s Resolution On Longline Fishing
In a shocking turn of events, on Thursday, Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu decided not to open the country’s EEZ to longline fishing. The Cabinet passed a resolution on June 13, permitting...
PNG Works On New Strategy To Boost Its Position As Tuna Hub
The Papua New Guinean government has announced the next step in boosting the country’s role in tuna fishing and processing in the Pacific region. In the first quarter of 2025, a National Tuna...
IATTC Staff Call Out Need For Refining Bigeye Harvest Strategy
The IATTC staff has put forward a set of recommendations to the Commission for the successful development of harvest strategies (HS) for tropical tunas ahead of the RFMO's annual meeting from...
The Importance of Verification: Why Go Beyond Traceability and Regulatory Compliance?
-Viewpoint- For over a century, supply chain management has focused on reliability and efficiency. However, in today’s market, these traditional goals are no longer sufficient. Regulatory...
China’s Fisheries Training Program Lends A Helping Hand To Somalia
Last month, the Chinese government and Somalia's Ministry of Fisheries and Blue Economy collaborated for a 20-day training program in Beijing (from July 10 to 30) to enhance the African...
Spain To Give EUR 17 Million Grant To Fishing And Aquaculture Firms
The Spanish government has called tuna and other fishery producer organizations and associations to submit proposals for the allocation of EUR 17 million in grants to guide their different...
OPAGAC Deputy Manager Says Yellowfin Catches In Seychelles “Back To Normal”
While vessel owners have been lamenting over the sharp drop in tuna catches in the Indian Ocean, Spanish seiner organization OPAGAC has said that capture volumes of yellowfin in Seychelles EEZ...
Pew Says EM Standards In The EPO Are At Stake
The Pew Charitable Trusts (Pew) stated that two working groups chaired by the US have not finalized their efforts to allow RFMOs to take action this year to improve transparency and combat...
Will Yellowfin Longline Fishery Kill Maldives’ Sustainability Image?
The Maldives government recently announced that it is all set to reopen its yellowfin longline fishery after a five-year hiatus. But this decision is facing stark criticism from not only...
Growing Pacific Islands’ Longliner Fleet Drives Higher Albacore Catches
The WCPO longline fishery accounts for around 8 to 10 percent of the total catches in this oceanic region annually. These vessels hooked slightly higher volumes in 2023 compared to the year...