The UK is the latest member of the IOTC. The kingdom joined the RFMO as a contracting party ahead of the end of the BREXIT transition period on December 31. There are no UK-flagged vessels...
Tuna Fishing News
Study States Tuna Aggregate Faster In New DFADs In The Atlantic
A group of researchers has published a report characterizing how tunas occupy drifting FADs (dFADs) in order to improve the understanding of their aggregation dynamics around these objects....
Skipjack Trading Slow, But Market Confident Thai Plants Will Stay Operational
Despite the worry that Bangkok's tuna processors might face supply issues with the increasing number of infection cases, business is carrying on as usual. The news from Atuna’s sources in the...
9 Days And Taiwanese Longliner Crew Still Missing
US authorities are stepping up their efforts to help find the crew of the Taiwanese tuna longliner, ‘Yong Yu Sin No 18’, who have been missing for more than a week. Initially, the owner...
IOTC Schedules Special Session On Yellowfin & Skipjack Sustainability
The IOTC special session which will be held in March will be focusing on more than just the rebuilding of yellowfin stock. The latest circular from the RFMO shows that the event will also...
Trump Under Fire For Vetoing Drifting Gillnets Bill
Outgoing US President Donald Trump has come under fire after he vetoed a bill which would end permits given for large mesh drifting gillnets used in federal waters off the coast of California....
Iran Gillnet Fleet Shut Down By IOTC Yellowfin Quota
The IOTC has announced the 2021 yellowfin catch limits for the tuna fleets in the Indian Ocean (IO) as part of its continuing efforts to rebuild this stock. Due to exceeding quotas...
Missing Longliner Found Drifting With No Trace Of Crew
A Taiwanese-flagged tuna longliner missing in the Pacific was spotted drifting empty in the ocean four days later, and the crew of 10 that was on board have yet to be located. The vessel’s...
Coronavirus Cuts 1st Bluefin Auction Price By 90%
Tokyo’s Toyosu fish market’s New Year auctions usually result in exorbitant prices being offered for bluefin, but not this year. Today, the most expensive bid was by a Tokyo-based sushi...
Mexican Fisherman Dies After Boat Smashes Conservationists’ Vessel
A fisherman died in the Gulf of California after his vessel collided with a bigger one used by the US conservationist group Sea Shepherd, reported BBC. The organization claims that the...
US Agency Blocks Tuna From Taiwanese Longliner For Forced Labor
The US authorities have added another Taiwanese tuna longliner to their blacklist for forced labor issues. On December 31, the Office of Trade of the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP)...
Photojournalist Explores The Reality Of Traditional Tuna Fishing
In his new book, photojournalist Francesco Zizola captures the world of tuna fishing with images of Sardinian traditional tonnare (in Italy) or what in Spain is known as Almadraba. ...
Year In Review: 2020
What a ride 2020 has been! The world and the tuna industry were shaken by a year that turned out to be quite an anomaly. The COVID-19 pandemic impacted industries across the globe, and the...
PNA Wants FAD Fishery Certified To Meet New MSC Rules
The PNA fishery has announced its intention to extend its MSC certification to include FAD sets and bigeye. It currently holds the sustainable logo for its skipjack and yellowfin free school...
Drop In VDS And Transshipments Hits Marshall Islands’ Financials
Limited catches and low transshipment activity in Marshall Islands have contributed to a fall in income for the country. The Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority (MIMRA) is expecting...
Nauru The Best Catching Ground For Seiners During November
The WCPO seiner fleet caught a high share of tuna in PNA waters in November compared to the high seas. Consequently, with rising catches, there was substantially increased transshipment...
Bangkok Skipjack Market In Year-End Lull
With the holiday period and the end of the year approaching, the Bangkok tuna hub has been experiencing very low trading activity for whole round frozen skipjack. Trading has hit a lull with...
Second Ecuadorian FAD Fishery Going Into MSC Assessment
This week the MSC newsletter carried the announcement of assessment of another Eastern Pacific purse seine skipjack and yellowfin tuna FAD fishery for 11 mostly small...
WCPFC Work On Tropical Tuna TRP To Progress In 2021
The WCPFC has a plan to come up with target reference points (TRPs) for tropical tuna in the Western Pacific Ocean but this will depend on the progress made next year. Yesterday, the...
Peruvian Tuna Fisher Drowns Tangled In Seiner’s Net
A fisherman died on board the Peruvian-flagged tuna purse seiner ‘Eten Diez’ on December 20. The tragic event occurred after the 47-year-old chief of deck, Gerald John Ibarburu...