The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has received the Margarita Lizárraga Medal from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), recognizing the...
News
EU Extends Current Tuna Loins ATQ Until 2027
The European Commission has extended the current autonomous tariff quotas (ATQs) for tuna and other fishery products that can be imported under this tariff regime until December 31, 2027. This...
Tragic Death Of Young Fisherman In Manta Port
An ammonia leak aboard a tuna purse seiner in Manta on Wednesday ended in a fatality after an 18-year-old worker jumped overboard, fleeing the gas, and was later recovered lifeless. Five other...
NOAA Unveils Roadmap To Implement Trump’s Executive Order
NOAA Fisheries recently announced a set of policies in a bid to reduce regulatory and bureaucratic burdens on US fishermen, modernize fisheries science, and promote the domestic tuna and...
El Niño Affects WCPO Seiner Activity In August
Tuna seiners’ fishing activity in the WCPO moved further toward the center of the Pacific Ocean in August. After the FAD ban ended in the middle of the month, activity increased and shifted...
GFW-Philippines Collaboration Helps Expose Seiner’s Illegal Activity
In the Philippines, Global Fishing Watch (GFW) is working with the government to use satellite and vessel-tracking data to identify fishing vessels suspected of illegal activity and strengthen...
Owner Of ‘Montecristi’ Claims US Did Not Have Justification To Sink Vessel
In shocking news for the global tuna fishing sector, the US Southern Command sank the Ecuadorian-flagged tuna purse seiner ‘Montecristi’ on September 7, alleging that it was being used to...
Will Tuna Raw Material Prices Head Higher?
Skipjack raw material prices at key processing hubs like Bangkok and Manta are climbing, primarily due to tight supply. Super El Niño conditions have disrupted Pacific fisheries, pushing tuna...
Bangkok Skipjack Price Climbs As Packers Still Face Supply Crunch
Bangkok skipjack trading prices are edging higher as Thai processors wait for additional raw material following the end of the WCPFC FAD closure. Market sources reported contracts concluded at...
Thai Demand For Frozen WR Albacore At Five-Year-Peak
Thailand’s purchase of frozen whole round albacore rose from January to June this year, the highest in the past five years. All major sellers increased sales to Thai processors and charged...
Bigeye Catch Rebounds In 2025 After Years Of Decline
Bigeye catches in the EPO have been falling substantially since 2021, but made a slight recovery last year, boosted by higher volumes captured in purse seiners. On average, vessels caught...
EU Alerts: Nitrite-Treated Tuna From Vietnam Enters Belgium
The EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) reported three tuna-related incidents in August. One alert involved Listeria in a tuna snack, while others flagged nitrite-treated tuna and...
Thai Pet Food Exports Maintain Global Growth
Thai processors are continuing with their strong performance in the pet food business worldwide. After a record 2025, good sales continued in the first half of this year. Part of the increase...
Fishing Capacity Demands Stall IATTC Tropical Tunas MP Negotiations
Negotiations on a management procedure (MP) for tropical tunas failed to reach consensus at the IATTC annual meeting, with discussions becoming tied to requests from several members for...
US Sinks Ecuador Purse Seiner Over Alleged Drug Refueling
The US Southern Command destroyed and sank Ecuadorian industrial tuna purse seiner ‘Montecristi’ on September 7, alleging that it was being used to support drug trafficking operations in the...
Cook Islands Strikes Chinese-Owned Vessel From Registry
A Cook Islands-flagged longliner owned by China-based Handfull Marine Co. Ltd. has been deregistered after the island nation's High Court fined the vessel NZD 400,000 (USD 233,676) for illegal...
IATTC Tuna MP Outcome Differs From Readers’ Expectations
Tuna industry stakeholders gathered last week for the IATTC’s annual meeting, held August 31 to September 4 in Lisbon, Portugal. Members adopted a management procedure (MP) but only for...
Manta Skipjack Price Edges Higher As “Terrible Fishing” Grips EPO Vessels
Rising sea surface temperature dictates tuna fishing in the EPO, causing fisheries to incur higher costs and processors to fear a supply shortage and expensive raw material. Atuna spoke to...
Death Of Fisherman Remains A Mystery
An official investigation is being conducted after the discovery of a deceased crew member aboard a tuna fishing vessel ‘Bianca Catalina II’ off the coast of Coquimbo in Chile. The emergency...
WOFCO Puts Purse Seiner For Sale
Worldwide Fishing Company (Wofco) is seeking a buyer for ‘Aleshka’, a 42-year-old purse seiner that has been moored at Fandicosta’s dock since May. It has been listed for sale on shipbroker...