The MSC met with On The Hook (OTH) campaigners and UK Members of Parliament (MPs) this week to discuss criticism that they have targeted towards its sustainability standard. MSC CEO, Rupert...
Fishing
Japan Flips Its Stance On Observer Safety
Last year’s WCPFC agreement to implement new safety measures for observers went without the support of major distant water fishing nation Japan. Ahead of this year’s meeting however, the...
FIPs: A Meaningful Contribution To Sustainability?
As Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) become a bigger force in the tuna industry landscape, their contribution to sustainability is something that will obviously be questioned. Simon Bush,...
Pacific Albacore Fishery In A “Dire” State
The domestic South Pacific albacore fishery is in a dire situation and the WCPFC fails to handle the issue, according to a representative from the Pacific industry. He explains that distant...
Powerful Fishing Nations Block New Tuna Measures
There is a real risk that current tuna conservation measures could be watered down at this year’s WCPFC meeting, with powerful distant water fishing nations pushing for changes, considering a...
WCPFC Locks NGOs Out Of Vital Tuna Talks
The WCPFC took the decision this afternoon to exclude NGOs from the remaining working group meetings on tropical tuna conservation measures, the major point of the current Commission talks,...
Princes & TU Sign Onto Senegalese P&L FIP
An alliance between Thai Union Europe, Princes, WWF and other parties has been formed to bring a pole and line tuna fishery in Senegal up to the MSC standard through a Fisheries Improvement...
Blue Boat Plague Continues Despite Yellow Card
Illegal blue boats are back in unpermitted Pacific waters, island state officials stress. Despite the fact that Vietnam, where most of these small fishing vessels come from, has received a...
Solomon Islands Drops Pacific Albacore Agreement
Solomon Islands has opted out of the Tokelau arrangement on albacore, as officials argue it is too restrictive on tuna catch. Concerns have been voiced over the decision, as it is stated to...
Philippines Negotiates To Keep Exclusive High Seas Access
The Philippines is pushing for the extension of exclusive access to a tuna-rich high seas pocket for its purse seine fleet, as the arrangement expires at the end of this year. Getting the...
WTPO: New FAD Definition Needed For Western Pacific
A new definition of a FAD needs to be adopted by the WCPFC, stresses the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization (WTPO), which states that currently there is confusion and misunderstanding between...
Vietnam To Issue Hefty Fines To IUU Perpetrators
Vietnam’s National Assembly has passed a revised law on fisheries and now several parties associated with vessels involved in illegal tuna fishing will be handed substantial fines as well as...
ISSF: Juveniles “Not Really Bycatch” But “Undesirable”
ISSF has released a new report assessing the bycatch of tuna purse seiners using FADs, focusing mostly on sharks, rays, finfish and turtles. While the study does take juvenile yellowfin and...
WCPFC Chair: Zone Vs. Flag Management Critical Meeting Issue
With WCPFC side meetings already kick-started, the annual gathering of the Commission will be in full swing next week, and one of the major debates according to Rhea Moss-Christian, WCPFC...
Marine Reserve To Hit Mexican Consumers’ Pockets
The Director General of Grupomar has said a new marine reserve, recently given the go-ahead by the Mexican government, will result in increased costs being passed on to the consumer. The major...
“Strong Reduction” On FADs Wanted From WCPFC
The industry and several environmental organizations agree that improved monitoring of FADs is needed in the Western and Central Pacific, stressing this ahead of the annual gathering of the...
PNA To Finalize Disputed Longline VDS
The same Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) that is currently in place for purse seiners fishing in PNA waters is now also being rolled out for longliners in the region. The implementation is...
Spain’s Quota Distribution “Unfair”
The Spanish archipelago, Canary Islands, has criticized the government of Spain for its supposedly unfair distribution of the Eastern bluefin quota. Despite the recent significant catch limit...
Dual Identity IUU Longliner “On The Run”
A Taiwanese-owned longliner that was previously flagged to Thailand is described as being on the run after committing IUU offences in the Indian Ocean since 2014. The current identity and...
Crew Abandon Sinking US Longliner Off Hawaii
Six crew members were rescued by the Coast Guard when the US-flagged longliner they were working on started sinking around 160 kilometers from Hawaii. The vessel, named Jane, which has a gross...