Skipjack raw material prices at key processing hubs like Bangkok and Manta are climbing, primarily due to tight supply. Super El Niño conditions have disrupted Pacific fisheries, pushing tuna...
Fishing
Bangkok Skipjack Price Climbs As Packers Still Face Supply Crunch
Bangkok skipjack trading prices are edging higher as Thai processors wait for additional raw material following the end of the WCPFC FAD closure. Market sources reported contracts concluded at...
Bigeye Catch Rebounds In 2025 After Years Of Decline
Bigeye catches in the EPO have been falling substantially since 2021, but made a slight recovery last year, boosted by higher volumes captured in purse seiners. On average, vessels caught...
Fishing Capacity Demands Stall IATTC Tropical Tunas MP Negotiations
Negotiations on a management procedure (MP) for tropical tunas failed to reach consensus at the IATTC annual meeting, with discussions becoming tied to requests from several members for...
US Sinks Ecuador Purse Seiner Over Alleged Drug Refueling
The US Southern Command destroyed and sank Ecuadorian industrial tuna purse seiner ‘Montecristi’ on September 7, alleging that it was being used to support drug trafficking operations in the...
Cook Islands Strikes Chinese-Owned Vessel From Registry
A Cook Islands-flagged longliner owned by China-based Handfull Marine Co. Ltd. has been deregistered after the island nation's High Court fined the vessel NZD 400,000 (USD 233,676) for illegal...
IATTC Tuna MP Outcome Differs From Readers’ Expectations
Tuna industry stakeholders gathered last week for the IATTC’s annual meeting, held August 31 to September 4 in Lisbon, Portugal. Members adopted a management procedure (MP) but only for...
Manta Skipjack Price Edges Higher As “Terrible Fishing” Grips EPO Vessels
Rising sea surface temperature dictates tuna fishing in the EPO, causing fisheries to incur higher costs and processors to fear a supply shortage and expensive raw material. Atuna spoke to...
Death Of Fisherman Remains A Mystery
An official investigation is being conducted after the discovery of a deceased crew member aboard a tuna fishing vessel ‘Bianca Catalina II’ off the coast of Coquimbo in Chile. The emergency...
WOFCO Puts Purse Seiner For Sale
Worldwide Fishing Company (Wofco) is seeking a buyer for ‘Aleshka’, a 42-year-old purse seiner that has been moored at Fandicosta’s dock since May. It has been listed for sale on shipbroker...
IUU Fishing And Agreements Prioritized At COFI37
Progress in addressing IUU fishing by global fishing fleets and the implementation of fishing agreements are among the main topics on the agenda for the one-week-long 37th Session of the...
IATTC Meeting Dissapointing Except For Pacific Bluefin Win
The 104th Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded last week with a major milestone for Pacific bluefin, as members adopted a management procedure (MP) for the...
Japanese Bluefin Fishers Brace For Season Amid Challenges
Japanese Atlantic bluefin fishers are expecting strong catches as the season approaches, despite geopolitical uncertainties. Kenji Kagawa, President of the Japan Tuna Fisheries Co-operative...
Shocking Parasite Presence Found In Skipjack
A recent scientific study in Brazil revealed a hidden threat within skipjack: an alarmingly high rate of parasitic contamination that impacts both food safety and industry profits. This tuna...
IATTC Annual Meeting Ends Today
After a week of debating critical topics related to tuna and tuna-like species in the EPO, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) 104th meeting ends today. Major discussions this...
EPO Yellowfin Catches Hit 50-Year Peak
EPO tuna vessels experienced a windfall in yellowfin catches in 2025, hitting a historic peak. The overall volume was 69 percent higher than the average for the previous 10 years (2015-2024)....
Central Sulawesi Emerges As Indonesian Tuna Exporter To Key Markets
Stricter quality and safety certifications imposed by Indonesia’s Fisheries Ministry on tuna products from Central Sulawesi have helped boost exports to markets like the US and Singapore,...
Taiwan Urged To Strengthen Electronic Monitoring On Tuna Longliners
Taiwan must strengthen Electronic Monitoring (EM) systems on its longliner fleet, but monitoring distant water vessels is challenging. One latest study says that the country should design its...
Maldivian WR Tuna Exports Plunge On Weak Skipjack Supply
Maldivian processors and companies are facing a difficult year following a strong performance in 2025 when tuna exports to global markets rebounded sharply. Lower skipjack availability in the...
Pacific Leaders Say Regional Surveillance Center Upgrade Critical For Monitoring
Upgrading the Pacific Regional Fisheries Surveillance Center (RSFC), boosting maritime monitoring, and climate issues are some of the main topics being discussed at the 55th Pacific Islands...