The Thai Ministry of Labor will deliver a report to the European Commission this month on the progress it has made to eradicate human trafficking and illegal labor in the country. Concerns of...
Tuna Fishing News
Sharp Drops In EPO Yellowfin Catch, Fleet Tactics?
Last year the purse seine fleet in the Eastern Pacific Ocean reported a significant drop in overall yellowfin catch, and nations that primarily focus on yellowfin tuna, have been seen to more...
Chinese Tuna Fleet Exec Turns Politician: Boost For Nation’s Fleet?
In what has been described as a clear sign of the political connection between the Chinese government and the nation’s fisheries sector, a top tuna fleet executive in the country has been...
Tsukiji’s New Year’s Bluefin Nearly $800 Per Kg
The world’s largest fish market has held its final New Year bluefin tuna auction at its Tsukiji location in Tokyo. An impressive JPY 36.5 million (USD 323,000) was paid by the owner of an...
US Access Driver Behind First Costa Rican Tuna FIP
A new Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) in Costa Rica’s EEZ, covering catches of pelagic species such as yellowfin, has recently been announced; the first venture of its kind for the country....
Despite FAD Challenges, Ecuador’s Fleet Expects 2020 MSC
Satisfied with the extent of progress so far, the majority chunk of the Ecuadorian purse seine fleet, currently involved in a Fisheries Improvement Project (FIP) in the EPO, is expecting to...
EU Albacore Sales: Lower Tonnage Drives Higher Prices
Sales of Northern Atlantic albacore tuna, or Bonito del Norte, in major EU markets were lower in volume terms in the first three quarters of 2017, despite the major fleet, Spain, having...
Seiner Helicopter Makes Unexpected Rescue During Tuna Search
Helicopter pilot, Isaac Harrison, flew over the Western Pacific as he searched for schools of tuna, but the search soon turned into a rescue mission as he spotted a stranded family. The...
Settlement Reached In US Longline Human Trafficking Case
Two Indonesian fishermen have reached settlement on a lawsuit which was filed against the owner of a US tuna longliner, at an undisclosed sum. The men claimed to have escaped from the ship...
PNG To Regret Rebate Scheme For Local Processing?
Following PNG’s announcement to bring an end to its discounted fishing days, and instead financially reward tuna firms that process tuna on PNG soil, six tuna cannery operators on the island...
Dongwon’s Controversial Pacific Breeze Files For Bankruptcy
Dongwon Industries’ subsidiary firm, Pacific Breeze Fisheries LLC, has filed for bankruptcy in the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, noting its total liabilities at USD 11.4...
IO SKJ Quota A Necessary Move, Majority Say
Expectations of the first ever skipjack catch limit for the Indian Ocean purse seine fleet have since been confirmed by the IOTC. Still, there have been questions around the necessity of this...
US Vessel Caught With “Paper Captain”
The US Coast Guard has allegedly found a foreign national working as the captain of a US flagged vessel in Hawaiian waters. After a 10-day long patrol and boarding six Hawaii longliners, which...
The Top 10 Tuna Stories Of 2017
At the close of an exciting year for the tuna business, packed with news and developments regarding every corner of the sector, a few topics are dominating the list of the most read stories of...
Jail Time Or Fines For Japan’s Quota Violators
The Japanese Fisheries Agency will go ahead with issuing penalties to Japanese bluefin tuna fishermen if they violate catch quotas, as part of new regulations coming into action in the new...
PNA Clashes With Fishing States On WCPFC Decisions
The PNA has noted mixed opinions on the outcomes of the recent WCPFC annual meeting, which took place in December 2017, and says the most disappointing result is the revision of the tropical...
TU: All Suppliers Must Sign New Vessel Code Of Conduct
Thai Union will now require all vessels it sources from, including a large number of tuna boats, to live up to the standards of a new Vessel Code of Conduct (VCoC) and implement a Vessel...
Maldives P&L Withdraws Yellowfin MSC Certificate
The Maldives pole and line fishery has officially withdrawn its yellowfin MSC certificate, which was suspended in 2016. The move means that there is no attempt to regain the sustainable...
Crew Given Hefty Fines For Misreporting Bluefin Catch
The captain and operator of a Portuguese longliner that attempted to pass off illegal bluefin catch as bigeye earlier this year have been given substantial penalties by the courts. Vila...
China Takes Action Against Illegal Vessels In EPO
Chinese fisheries authorities have launched a pilot inspection project for the nation’s own-flagged vessels fishing in the waters of Ecuador and Peru. The Ecuadorian tuna sector has expressed...