While skipjack catch rates are extremely slow for Western Pacific purse seine fleets, one small savior could be the plummeted price levels of crude oil, which represents a substantial cost for...
Tuna Fishing News
Fishermen Say They Face Abuse For Battling IUU
Fishermen in Ghana are gearing up against illegal fishing as they are calling on the government to tighten up laws to eliminate the practice in the country’s waters by both domestic and...
Calls For ICCAT To Be Cautious Over Crucial Quotas
Although parts of the industry argue that Eastern bluefin stocks are improving, which they claim is evidenced through the quick exhaustion of the quotas in the Mediterranean year after year,...
Bolton & WWF Ink FIP Partnership To Achieve 7 Year Goal
Italian tuna firm, Bolton Alimentari has signed a four year “international partnership” with WWF, which will see the company invest in existing Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) in the...
Some Pacific Islands Still Haven’t Marked EEZs
Some Pacific Island nations are lagging behind their neighbors, and are facing calls to enact an overdue commitment to move beyond provisional maritime boundaries and establish...
Indonesia Exposes Tuna Vessel Tracks To The World
The Indonesian fleet's operations have become more transparent, with the nation making its Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) data publically available via online tool, Global Fishing Watch, with...
Frustration Within ISSF About IOTC “Missteps”, Who’s To Blame?
The ISSF stressed some tough demands to the IOTC before it met last month, among which it underlined that strict compliance with purse seine yellowfin catch reductions must be upheld. Were its...
The Looming FAD Ban: Is This Year Different?
Although more fleets have been keen to increase their focus on free-school operations in response to strong market demand, this year’s FAD ban in the WCPO is still expected to have notable...
Palau President: Close 30% Of World’s Oceans
Palau’s President is calling for the protection of 30 percent of the world’s oceans, urging countries to follow in the footsteps of the island nation, which has taken initiatives to close...
Paper Scrapped For Digital Traceability In Thai Fisheries
Moves towards a digitized supply chain and electronic labor protection are underway in Thailand. As part of a pilot scheme, vessels have been installed with satellite connectivity systems, and...
UN Urged To Tackle High Seas Controls
The protection of the high seas is being called for as a top priority at the United Nations Ocean Conference taking place in New York this week. The issue is heavily discussed in the tuna...
10,000 Cases Of Pacific Dumping Uncovered
A compilation of 12-years’ worth of data has revealed that purse seiners are "knowingly" dumping pollutants into the Pacific Ocean on a major scale. This comes after the reports of observers...
Why MSC Opens Debate On Mixed Method Tuna Fisheries
MSC stakeholders have gathered today to debate the issue of mixed method tuna fisheries being sustainably certified for just one aspect of their operations, which several organizations have...
Balfegó Hits Bluefin Limit In Just 6 Days
One of Spain’s biggest bluefin catchers, Balfegó Group, has already completed its allocated share of the species for the fishing season, having hit the limit in just six days. With its...
Catching Method Not Important To EU Consumers
The effectiveness of using gear-type or catching method as a way of communicating sustainability to consumers has been brought into question, with a report conducted by the European Commission...
No Radical Change For Future Of IO Stocks
Although some concrete measures came out of the recent IOTC meeting, one acclaimed tuna scientist and expert believes that there will be no major revolution in the management of tuna stocks in...
Stakeholders Meet On Challenged MSC Mixed Method Certifications
A stakeholder meeting this week will address an issue that has gathered increased attention, especially since the MSC process has faced scrutiny in recent months. Talks will focus on the...
US Govt: Longliners Haven’t Stolen Local Catch
American Samoa has asked the court to throw out an appeal from the US Federal government, in a case that has extended the territory's protected waters, limiting US longline operations....
EU The “Scapegoat” In IO Catch Reductions?
The European Commission is regretful that amendments were made to the yellowfin catch reduction measure at the recent IOTC meeting, believing that the new rules specifically target the EU...
El Niño Uncertainty For US Albacore Fishery
There is a 50 percent chance of El Niño forming in the waters off the US west coast by late summer or early fall this year, according to NOAA, which could put the fortune of the albacore tuna...