The Cook Islands is working on expanding its tuna activities. Its government is exploring the possibility of establishing Penrhyn, one of the atolls, as a commercial tuna transshipment hub....
Fishing
Yellowfin Catches Save Panamanian Fleet’s Performance In H1
The catches of Panama-flagged purse seiners fishing in the EPO declined from January to June this year, compared to the same period last year. Like other fleets, their target skipjack captures...
IO Purse Seiner Owners Expect Tide To Turn Soon
Skipjack fishing in the Indian Ocean continues to be poor and this has been ongoing for months. However, insiders say there are signs that the situation will turn for the better soon, meaning...
EPO Purse Seine Fleets’ Carrying Capacity Seesaws In 10 Years
The EPO fleet catches in 2024 were the highest in recorded IATTC history, driven by incredible purse seine skipjack catches. This occurred despite the lower carrying capacity of fleets. In...
South Korea Amends Law For Foreigners To Work Onboard Tuna Longliners
South Korea recently amended its Ship Crew Act, allowing foreign shipboard officers to work on its tuna longliners. Ageing workers, who have been unable to continue operations, and labor...
Azores Tuna Canners And Auction Company Lock Horns Over Cold Storage Facilities
Tuna canners in Portugal’s Azores region have pointed fingers at Lotaçor, a regional fish auction company, for the shortage of tuna storage space. Lotaçor claimed that the abundant tuna...
Kiribati Catches Hit 5-Year Peak
Kiribati-flagged purse seiners expanded their catches in the WCPO in 2024, compared to the previous year, driven by good skipjack fishing and an increase in the number of vessels. Kiribati...
IATTC 103rd Meeting Kicks Off Today
Harvest strategies, climate resilience, electronic monitoring, and dFAD ban in the EPO will be topics at the IATTC meeting starting today in Panama. NGOs had put forward position statements...
Major Global Highlights August 2025
Trade in Bangkok was hit with uncertainties looming around the US President Donald Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs that were announced August 1 and came into effect within a week. Low...
FCF IO Albacore Longline Fishery MSC Certified But Vessels Missing In RFMO List
Last week, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified the Indian Ocean longline albacore fishery and the Mauritius EEZ longline albacore fishery, together called the consolidated IO...
IATTC Staff Says EPO Fishing Closure Can Be Reduced But Urges Cautionary Approach
The annual IATTC meeting begins next Monday, and the RFMO staff have given several recommendations (via a report) for the Commission to consider during the week-long gathering. A major point...
NOAA Says PCR Tool Test Helps Combat Seafood Fraud
NOAA completed the second deployment of a rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) device, which detected the false labeling of imported tuna and other tuna-like species that entered the US. The...
Annual GenSan Tuna Festival Kicks Off This Weekend
The much-awaited week-long annual GenSan festival will begin in the Filipino tuna capital city, General Santos, on August 31. The city authorities, fishing companies, and entrepreneurs have...
More “Vessels Of Interest” Detected This Year In WCPO
The twelve-day FFA-led operation to combat IUU fishing in the WCPO, 'Operation Island Chief 2025' (OPIC25), concluded last week. Eight surface patrol assets and six aircrafts were deployed,...
TUNA VIGO 2025: Last Chance To Register For The World’s Leading Tuna Conference
- Sponsored content - The countdown has begun: in just a few days, the global tuna industry will gather in Vigo, Spain, for the XII ANFACO World Tuna Conference, from September 11–12, under...
Seiner Fuel Costs Drop For WCPO Boat Owners
After two months of reduced earnings for WCPO purse seine owners due to high fuel costs and other expenses, August showed a reprieve. Global crude oil prices have declined, pushing down marine...
Indian Tuna Exporter Association Points Out Roadblocks To A Thriving Business
Last year, the Indian government announced that it is gearing up to expand its tuna industry, which included fishing, processing, and exports. The country's tuna sellers point out that there...
Overnight Inferno Destroys Marshall Islands Parliament Building
The Marshall Islands Parliament building was destroyed after a fire engulfed the chamber, offices, library, and archives in the wee hours of Tuesday. No casualties were reported. The Marshall...
Concerns For Fish Welfare In Pole-And-Line Gear Rises, IPNLF Questions Study
The Carefish/catch project researches animal welfare impacts in pole-and-line fisheries. The outcomes of its recent study has been criticized by International Pole and Line Foundation...
Boats Stay Ashore In Vietnam Tuna Hub Amid High Costs
Tuna fishers in the province of Khanh Hoa in Vietnam are unable to go to sea. High costs and low fish prices and catches are driving these fishermen to stay in port. This province is a tuna...