Three Vietnamese vessels carrying 17 crew members have been apprehended by the Philippine Navy, accused of poaching yellowfin tuna in the West Philippine Sea. Atuna has previously reported...
Tuna Fishing News
Bluefin Come Back To Sweden After 50+ Years
An incredible sight met Swedish fishermen this weekend when they spotted bluefin up to 300kg outside of Landskrona in the south of Sweden, where it has not been seen since 1964. The boat...
Scrutiny Of EU Seiner Deal Branded “Biased”
A contest over the Cook Islands’ EEZ shows no signs of easing, with the Director of an NGO now describing a recent review of the country’s fishing deal with the EU, as “biased”. Kevin...
Severe Seiner Damage From 2016’s Strongest Cyclone
Typhoon Meranti, which hit Taiwan last week, has been branded the strongest cyclone, hurricane or typhoon of 2016, and is one of the three most powerful ever recorded. Its force, which started...
Stowaways Found Onboard Spanish-Owned Seiner
One of the biggest tuna seiners in the world, Pacific Star, has been found carrying three unexpected crew members. The young men, described by Faro De Vigo as stowaways, were discovered this...
Industry Takes Action On Hawaiian Labor Abuse Concerns
The Hawaiian longline fishing industry has stated it is taking immediate action to assess and establish controls to protect foreign crew from forced labor. The move comes in response to an...
Tuna Fishermen Seek Help From Seabirds
Fishermen in the Maldives are using bird-tracking radar technology in an attempt to improve the efficiency of their tuna catch. The International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and marine...
The Rapid Acceleration Of Atlantic FAD Use
The booming rate of FAD deployment in the Atlantic Ocean caught the attention of attendees at the recent African Tuna Conference in Abidjan, where statistics were shown indicating that numbers...
American Samoa Grabs More Fisheries Control
American Samoa, the operating base for many US tuna purse seiners and home to two major canneries, is being given more say in fisheries management in the Western Pacific through new...
Top Scientist: More Seiners Won’t Drastically Harm Bigeye
The expansion of the Cook Islands purse seine fishery will not substantially damage bigeye tuna stocks or harm conservation efforts in the WCPO, according to Dr. John Hampton, a top fisheries...
US Firms Halt Purchases From Hawaiian Longliners
The spreading news from an AP report claiming that labor abuse of foreign workers exists within the Hawaiian longline industry has resulted in some US firms halting purchases of seafood from...
Atuna Readers Decisive About Tuna Catch Quotas
Tuna catch quotas have been suggested as a more reliable option for the EPO operating purse seine fleet, as officials in the country believe an extended fishing ban is unrealistic and would...
Standpoint: ’’Accusations Of Labor Abuse On Longliners Are Grossly Exaggerated’’
Alleged labor abuse within the Hawaiian longline fleet has been a hot topic after Associated Press published a report last week claiming that undocumented foreign fishermen are confined to...
13 Nations Call For Ban On Fishing Subsidies
Along with 12 other countries, the US has called for a ban on subsidies that it believes can enable harmful fishing practices, ahead of the World Trade Organization (WTO) convening for...
Ban On FADs Considered No Win For Cook Islands
A new report has endorsed the use of FADs by purse seiners within the Cook Islands’ EEZ, stating that a ban would not be beneficial for ocean preservation, despite petition from other...
Reports On Hawaii Fleet Labor Abuse “Way Out Of Line”?
A report into alleged labor abuse within the Hawaiian longline fleet has blown up in global media, along with claims that loopholes in US law are allowing vessel owners to legally refrain from...
US Flexes Military Muscles In Western Pacific
A US military exercise that will include around 22,000 members of the armed forces is currently underway, and will be based from the Western Pacific island of Guam, with focus on strengthening...
Recreational Fishing Threatening The Bluefin Industry?
The South Australian Fishing Alliance (SAFA) has responded to claims that the recreational sector for Southern bluefin tuna fishing is “unrestrained’’; comments which reportedly came from...
MSC Defends Mixed Certification From OPAGAC Criticism
The MSC has responded in defense of certifying only the free-school operations of a mixed tuna purse seine fishery, after OPAGAC, the umbrella industry association representing the Spanish...
Frustration Over WCPFC Failure On Crisis Advice
The Northern Committee (NC) of the WCPFC has been heavily criticized by NGO Pew, with the accusation that members “did not even follow advice from their own scientists”. Member nations again...