Fiji's Navy has started a search for five crew members of the Fiji-flagged tuna longliner ‘FV TIRO II. The search was initiated after a report was received that six men went overboard after a...
Tuna Fishing News
Navy Starts Hunt For Kidnappers Of Tuna Purse Seiner Crew
The hunt for a group of eight pirates was initiated after they kidnapped five crew members of a tuna purse seiner operating in Ghanaian waters. The criminals also hijacked and and raided the...
ILO: States Can Leverage Maritime Rules To Help With Crew Changes
The International Labor Organization (ILO) has been working on addressing labor issues during the pandemic for the tuna and maritime sectors in general. Brandt Wagner, Unit Head for Transport...
Ecuador FAD Fishery’s Yellowfin Catches Up While Mexicans’ Down In Q1
Yellowfin catches in the EPO have been very good this year, compared to other tropical tuna. The Mexican industry is well-known for targeting large specimens of this tuna while other fleets,...
Call To UN For Urgent Vaccinations Of Tuna Crews In The Pacific
There has been a call made for an “immediate vaccination” of all tuna fishermen in the Pacific region amid the threat posed by the global pandemic to the people and economies of island nations...
Hawaiian Longline Fleet Allege Intimidation By Chinese Vessels
Hawaiian tuna longlining fishermen have reported seeing an increasing number of Chinese vessels near the islands and have accused them of intimidation tactics. Eric Kingma, Executive Director...
Chile Wants Geographical Indication For Its Tuna In The EU
The EU and Chile are currently negotiating the terms of a new Modernised Free Trade Agreement. The South American country wants the Geographical Indication (GI) of its tuna from Easter Island...
Have Greenpeace Campaigners Turned Into Diplomats On Tuna?
Greenpeace used to be known for being very active in the tuna industry but has largely disappeared from the scene in the past few years. Has the global environmental action group lost its...
Poor Weather Affecting Yellowfin Catches In Gulf Of Mexico
Bad weather coupled with ongoing COVID-19 related restrictions have slowed down yellowfin catches in the southeast of the US. However, despite low production, tuna prices are around the same...
India’s Tuna Exports Suffer Big Drop To Main Destinations
India has 1.36 billion inhabitants, an EEZ covering 2.02 million sq km, and a coastline of 7,516.6 km. It contains diverse fish stocks but tuna and tuna-like species catches take place...
WWF Calls 100% Observer Coverage For All Tuna Vessels To Protect Sharks & Rays
Environmental non-profit WWF has urged contracting parties of tuna RFMOs to take urgent action to prevent further depletion of endangered shark and ray stocks. Andy Cornish, Head of the NGO’s...
Chagos’ Natives Sue British Crown For GBP 1 Billion Over Loss Fishing Rights
The UK has been hit with a billion-pound lawsuit by the natives of the Chagos Islands who are demanding compensation for the loss of fishing rights in their own waters. This Indian Ocean (IO)...
Skipjack Catches Down In EPO While Yellowfin Stays Strong In Q1
Tropical tuna catches in the EPO experienced a substantial drop during the first quarter of this year compared to the record-high level registered during the same period in 2020. The skipjack...
Bill Introduced Giving US Power To Fight IUU
This week the Illegal Fishing and Forced Labor Prevention Act was introduced in the US House of Representatives. If it passes, the bill will give US authorities more power to fight IUU...
Incomplete FAD Data Continues To Plague IATTC Decision Making?
Currently, the IATTC’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is holding its annual meeting which ends today. Leading up to the virtual gathering, the RFMO staff made its recommendations. One of...
Almadraba Tuna Routes Are Back After Forced Pause
This years' Almadraba fishing season for bluefin has started. It is accompanied by a series of gastronomic festivals organized by cities in the province of Cadiz, Spain, where this traditional...
IATTC Staff A Broken Record On FAD Interventions
The possible necessity of extra FAD management measures in the EPO area has been a hot topic during IATTC meetings for quite a while now. The issue was further discussed last week during the...
SKJ1.8BKK Barely Dips Amid Rising Marine Fuel Prices
The value of whole round frozen skipjack being traded in Bangkok has barely dipped in about three weeks amid high fuel costs for vessels and a low demand in the market. Sources confirmed with...
Spanish Sector Set To Discuss Sustainable Tuna Fishing
Tomorrow, Bermeo Tuna World Capital (BTWC) will be holding a virtual meeting to discuss the current situation of the tuna fishing sector. The association’s goal is “to bring to debate, from an...
Pole & Line Sustainable While Fishers Huddle To Sleep On The Floor?
In the past few years, the living conditions of fishermen on board tuna vessels have been heavily scrutinized. The longline and the purse seine fleet have especially been at the center of...