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...
Fishing
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...
Should RFMOs Require More Transparency In Vessel Ownership?
Atuna asked Gerard Domingue, IOTC Compliance Manager, on why it is possible for a vessel to have an owner of a nationality other than the flag it flies. He explained that most nations’...
Favorable Economic Conditions For WCPO Purse Seine Fishery
The economic situation for the overall WCPO purse seine fishery was favorable in 2024, according to the latest data presented to the WCPFC. The estimated value of purse seine tuna catch for...
Tuna RFMOs Have Pivotal Role In BBNJ Agreement
The complementary roles that tuna RFMOs and the BBNJ agreement can play were widely discussed at a United Nations (UN) event. Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director of WCPFC, explored the...
Fishing Closure Period, FADs Use Among Ecuador’s Priorities At IATTC Meeting
Ecuador, with the largest fleet in the EPO, has asked the IATTC for a reduction in the fishing closure period from 2026 to 2028. Bigeye stock sustainability and maintaining the number of FADs...
Bangkok Hub Sees Cautious Approach To Skipjack Trading
Trading in the Bangkok tuna processing hub is cautious, but the price for skipjack raw material is moving in an upward direction. Hardly any deals are being made. Small packers mentioned that...
Mexican Seiners’ Tuna Catches Driven By Excellent Yellowfin Volumes
Mexican purse seiners operating in the EPO expanded their catches from January to June this year, compared to H1 2024, due to the high yellowfin volumes during this period. The vessels...
Readers: EC Will Appeal On IOTC DFAD Court Judgment
Earlier this month, the EU General Court annulled the European Commission’s (EC) refusal to review the EU’s objection to the IOTC 72-day dFAD ban. The decision came after French NGO Bloom...
Protest Mounts Against Maltese BF Farm Responsible For Slime
St.Paul’s Bay-based bluefin farm, Azzopardi Fisheries, is accused of being the origin of sea slime that has been a cause of concern for Maltese authorities and beach-goers for the past few...
Real-Time Transshipment Data In Pacific Seiner Fishery: The New Future?
The use of crane scales (dynamometers) proved to be a better option for measuring the tuna catch weight during transshipment. The device was introduced by the Marshall Islands Marine Resources...
Solomon Islands’ Newly Hired Fisheries Observers Get Specialized Training
Thirty-two fisheries observers, newly hired by the Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources (MFMR), completed the 'Knowing Your Public Service (KYPS)' training last week. The...
Vanuatu Seiner Catches Made Incredible Downfall
Vanuatu national fleet comprised purse seiners and longliners that catch tuna and tuna-like species in the WCPO. In 2024, purse seine fishing plummeted while those of longliners recovered....
What Are IOTC Criteria for Reporting on a Vessels Flag and Owners?
The recent reflagging of a vessel from Spanish fishing company Inpesca to Oman, prompted Atuna to delve into the criteria for a foreign company to fly the flag of another nation while...
Dramatic Drop In Ecuadorian Fleet’s Skipjack Catches
The Ecuadorian fleet’s captures in the EPO witnessed a slight increase from January to June this year, but skipjack, its main catch, fell during this period. This led to a drop in the supply...
PNG Wants To Stop Exporting Tuna For Processing
Papua New Guinea’s Fisheries Minister Jelta Wong recently said the country needs to reform its economy and stop exporting fish to be re-imported in cans. The National Fisheries Authority (NFA)...
Dongwon Veteran’s Autobiography Is Out In English
Dongwon Group announced yesterday that the English version of its founder and Chairman Kim Jae–chul’s autobiography ‘Sailing Through Life's Storms’ is out. It was first launched in Korean...