The booming rate of FAD deployment in the Atlantic Ocean caught the attention of attendees at the recent African Tuna Conference in Abidjan, where statistics were shown indicating that numbers...
Fishing
American Samoa Grabs More Fisheries Control
American Samoa, the operating base for many US tuna purse seiners and home to two major canneries, is being given more say in fisheries management in the Western Pacific through new...
Top Scientist: More Seiners Won’t Drastically Harm Bigeye
The expansion of the Cook Islands purse seine fishery will not substantially damage bigeye tuna stocks or harm conservation efforts in the WCPO, according to Dr. John Hampton, a top fisheries...
US Firms Halt Purchases From Hawaiian Longliners
The spreading news from an AP report claiming that labor abuse of foreign workers exists within the Hawaiian longline industry has resulted in some US firms halting purchases of seafood from...
Atuna Readers Decisive About Tuna Catch Quotas
Tuna catch quotas have been suggested as a more reliable option for the EPO operating purse seine fleet, as officials in the country believe an extended fishing ban is unrealistic and would...
Standpoint: ’’Accusations Of Labor Abuse On Longliners Are Grossly Exaggerated’’
Alleged labor abuse within the Hawaiian longline fleet has been a hot topic after Associated Press published a report last week claiming that undocumented foreign fishermen are confined to...
13 Nations Call For Ban On Fishing Subsidies
Along with 12 other countries, the US has called for a ban on subsidies that it believes can enable harmful fishing practices, ahead of the World Trade Organization (WTO) convening for...
Ban On FADs Considered No Win For Cook Islands
A new report has endorsed the use of FADs by purse seiners within the Cook Islands’ EEZ, stating that a ban would not be beneficial for ocean preservation, despite petition from other...
Reports On Hawaii Fleet Labor Abuse “Way Out Of Line”?
A report into alleged labor abuse within the Hawaiian longline fleet has blown up in global media, along with claims that loopholes in US law are allowing vessel owners to legally refrain from...
US Flexes Military Muscles In Western Pacific
A US military exercise that will include around 22,000 members of the armed forces is currently underway, and will be based from the Western Pacific island of Guam, with focus on strengthening...
Recreational Fishing Threatening The Bluefin Industry?
The South Australian Fishing Alliance (SAFA) has responded to claims that the recreational sector for Southern bluefin tuna fishing is “unrestrained’’; comments which reportedly came from...
MSC Defends Mixed Certification From OPAGAC Criticism
The MSC has responded in defense of certifying only the free-school operations of a mixed tuna purse seine fishery, after OPAGAC, the umbrella industry association representing the Spanish...
Frustration Over WCPFC Failure On Crisis Advice
The Northern Committee (NC) of the WCPFC has been heavily criticized by NGO Pew, with the accusation that members “did not even follow advice from their own scientists”. Member nations again...
Alleged Hawaiian Fleet Labor Abuse Due To Loophole
The revelation that foreign fishermen are confined to American boats for years at a time in worryingly unclean conditions is the core exposure coming from Associated Press’ recent report on...
High Seas Closure The Answer For Skipjack Stocks?
A recent study has found that reducing the exploitation of skipjack on the high seas could replenish stocks in coastal areas by 10 percent, and also help combat the effects of climate change....
Tuna Monitoring System To Catch Drug Smugglers?
An Australian-funded Pacific surveillance operation currently monitoring the world's largest tuna fishery could soon target drug and people smugglers in the region. The Niue Treaty Subsidiary...
Global Media Shines Light On Abuse Of Fishermen
The presence of labor abuse in the fishing industry, which has been linked to a lack of oversight, has been reported on by major broadcaster, the BBC. The report which aired earlier this week...
EU Joins At-Sea IUU Patrol In West Africa
The EU has been working to tackle IUU fishing off the West African coast, and after co-funding a recent four-day at-sea pursuit, is optimistic with what it describes as concrete results. The...
Alleged Labor Abuse On Hawaiian Tuna Fleet
Associated press released a report today describing alleged labor abuses onboard Hawaiian commercial fishing vessels. The report states that around 700 undocumented workers are allowed to work...
Blockchain: A Step Towards Sustainable Fishing?
In order to make tuna supply chains more sustainable and transparent, suggestions have been made to make every bit of the production process digitized and registered from point of origin to...