The pole-and-line catches in the WCPO region improved in 2018 to an estimated 170,038 M/T. This was a slight increase from 2017, when the lowest catch since the mid-1960s...
Fishing
Spanish Vessels Benefit Most from EU’s Third Country Deals
Out of all the EU countries, Spain benefits the most from the economic bloc's fishing agreements with ‘Third Countries’. At least 250 vessels have licenses related to the...
Japan’s Skipjack Season “Screwed Up”
Climate change is affecting the Japanese supply of staple fish, driving up prices for some of the favorite seafood of the locals. Skipjack is among those affected species. Between January...
Coast Guard Rescues 37 From Sinking Ecuadorian Seiner
Last week, an Ecuadorian tuna purse seiner sank at approximately 336 nautical miles southeast of Clipperton Island in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The US Coast Guard (USCG) rescued 25 crewmen...
No Confirmation On Chinese Seiners Deal In PNG Waters
An article by Seafood Source noted that a delegation led by governor Nakikus Konga from PNG’s province of East New Great Britain, traveled to southern China last year to meet with...
Cook Islands’ Locals Say No To Chinese Tuna Transshipments
Chinese longline fishing company, Ping Tai Rong, wants to transship its tuna catches outside the reef at one of the Cook Islands. The island is an ideal tuna fishing...
PNG Tuna Tagging Program Ends
The latest tuna tagging expedition within Papua New Guinea (PNG) has ended after the survey vessel was cleared by authorities to head for Palau and the...
Developing Nations Building More Large-Scale Seiners
More large-scale tropical tuna purse seiners have been constructed by developing nations than developed ones in the past seven years – about 66 percent. However, the total number of...
Chennai to Build New Indian Ocean Tuna Harbor
The state government of Tamil Nadu has proposed building a standalone tuna fishing harbor in Thiruvottriyur Kuppam near Ennore in Chennai, to ease congestion and promote tuna fishing. The new...
Total Fishing Power Of Large-Scale Seiners Increasing
A study aiming to show the number and capacity of purse seiners targeting tropical tuna worldwide shows that there has been a decrease from last year – falling from 1,871 to 1,843. However,...
PAFCO Unable To Sustain Domestic Demand For Albacore
In the archipelago of Fiji, the amount of albacore unloading in the national port is not enough to sustain the domestic demand for the tuna. According to the Minister for Fisheries,...
Venezuelan Purse Seiner Detained In Panama Not Related To US Sanctions
The Venezuelan purse seiner, Aleta Azul, was banned from fishing in Panama, due to technical category violations. According to the Panama Maritime Authority, the vessel has...
Australian Southern Bluefin Harvest One Of The Best Ever
This year’s Southern Bluefin Tuna (SBT) harvest in Australia has been the shortest and one of the best ever in the country. Brian Jeffriess, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Southern...
Senegalese Seiner Detained In Angola Freed
A Senegalese tuna seiner that was detained in Angola for over a month due to procedural bungling has been freed by authorities. Last Saturday, Angolan officials let the purse seiner leave the...
Multi-Stakeholder Senegal Pole-And-Line FIP Launched
The Pole-and-Line Tuna Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in Senegal was officially launched on August 5, 2019. This is about 20 months after a Memorandum of Understanding...
US To Renew Treaty With Pacific Islands In Move To ‘Contain’ China
The US is making moves to maintain its strategic economic and military influence in the Pacific. On Monday, Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, visited the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)...
Judge Rules US Gov’t Can Exclude Boatowners From Tuna Study
A US federal judge has ruled that the NMFS’s action was ultimately reasonable though it 'hurt' a tuna group from participating in a scientific study that will shape future...
Good 2018 WCPO Skipjack Catches Crucial For Global Industry
The skipjack catch in the WCPO region has continued to grow over the years due to an increase in the purse seine efficiency and this is reflected in last year’s figures. The...
Four-Day Rescue Effort For Tuna Vessel By US Coast Guard
It took the US Coast Guard Crew of the Columbia River sector four days to safely moor the Ruby Lily in Yaquina Bay, US. The problem for the 41-ton vessel started 116 miles west of Newport...
Longliners Catch In WCPO Remains Level In 2018
The tuna longlining sector within the Western Pacific Ocean (WPO) in 2018 landed almost the same volume of total catch as from previous years despite the continuous fall in vessel numbers...