The notably low EPO skipjack catch this year, and in the latter months of 2017, is having a significant impact on the operational costs for fleets in the region, and therefore on market prices...
Fishing
Filipino Seiners Begin Year With Less Activity In PNG Waters
Filipino fleets fishing in PNG waters have been found to have less fishing activity at the beginning of this year, compared to 2017. Research from Atuna shows the vessel activity of two major...
NGOs: Circle Hooks Not Enough To Reduce Bycatch In Longline Fisheries
Several environmental groups, including Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Greenpeace are calling for longline fisheries to go beyond the use of circle hooks and implement a series of...
Korean Warship Searches For Fishermen Kidnapped By Pirates
A South Korean warship has been deployed to search for three Korean tuna fishermen who were allegedly kidnapped by Nigerian pirates in West African waters last week. The Ghana-flagged pole and...
Global Fishing Watch Defends Fisheries Study Following Criticism
The non-profit organization, Global Fishing Watch (GFW) has released a statement responding to criticism from a fisheries scientist who argued its latest study failed to provide any new...
PNA Gets Ready For ‘Smart’ World Tuna Day
In just over one month’s time the world will be celebrating World Tuna Day, for the second time since it was ratified by the United Nations. The PNA has decided its theme for May 2nd will be...
PNA’s MSC Recertification Now Official
The MSC recertification of the PNA free-school tuna fishery, which had already been assured by an Independent Adjudicator decision, has now become official. This means the fishery gets a new...
Will RFMO Implementation Of Non-Entangling FADs Make A Difference?
Since the concept was introduced by ISSF, three of the four tuna RFMOs have introduced non-entangling FAD recommendations to their conservation measures. This has resulted in voluntary...
Majority Say Retailers Hide Behind Consumers On Sustainability Policies
MSC tuna products still only make up a small fraction of the global market and some industry sources have argued this is because retailers are failing to push suppliers for MSC. Atuna asked...
Tuna Crew Taken Hostage In Alleged Pirate Attack
Five fishermen on a Ghana-flagged tuna pole and line vessel were reported missing on Monday, believed to have been taken hostage by Nigerian pirates in Atlantic waters. The incident could...
La Niña Causes Slow Start For EPO Seiners
La Niña effects in the EPO, which cause surface waters to cool, are having a notable impact on catch, with the region’s purse seine fleet getting off to a much slower start this year. For...
FCF Reacts To EJF Film Accusing IUU In Taiwanese Fleet
Taiwanese fishing and trading company, FCF Fishery, has told Atuna it “firmly” condemns human rights violations and IUU activity as a “responsible leader” in the tuna industry. This statement...
Intensive Vietnamese Port Inspections To Curb IUU
The province of Quang Binh in central Vietnam has launched an at-port inspection scheme to tackle Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated fishing (IUU). The initiative aims to live up to the...
Pacific One-Stop Source For Tuna Data Launched
A new web portal has been launched with the aim to make it easier to find information about stock status and conservation measures in the Western and Central Pacific. SustainPacFish, part of...
FAD & Free-School Equal In UK NGO ‘Good Fish Guide’
UK NGO Marine Conservation Society (MCS) no longer differentiates between FAD and free school purse seine operations in its ‘Good Fish Guide’, where it lays out recommendations to consumers on...
Crew Continue Salvage Efforts On Leaking Japanese Longliner
The Japanese tuna longliner that ran aground in Namibia last week is said to now be leaking fuel. While it is proving difficult, crewmembers continue to work onboard to salvage the vessel. It...
Brazilian Fleet Opposes New “No-Take” Zones
The Brazilian government has decided to close off two large areas of the nation’s waters for fishing, in order to preserve its biodiversity. The decision is being opposed by the country’s tuna...
Seafood Significant Contributor To US Trade Deficit
The US Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, has described the estimated USD 13 billion annual seafood trade deficit as a “pet peeve” and argues relaxed fishing regulations for the US fleet and...
Japanese Longliner Crashes In African Waters
A Japan-flagged tuna longliner has ran aground near the Ugab River in Namibia. All 24 crew members on the vessel survived with no injuries and a skeleton crew remains onboard in an effort to...
No Solid Evidence Non-Entangling FADs Reduce Bycatch
Since the guide for non-entangling FADs was released in 2012 by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), three tuna RFMOs now recommend that fleets deploy these...