Mexican Seiners Prepare To Resume Tuna Fishing After First Veda

Mexico’s National Aquaculture and Fisheries Commission (Conapesca) announced purse seiners that paused operations during the first phase of the IATTC veda will resume operations from October 9, following the end of the fishing closure on October 8.

After Ecuador, Mexico has the EPO’s second-largest tuna fleet with 61 vessels, but only 16 opted for the veda that began August 6. Those vessels can resume fishing on October 9 in the EPO. The remaining vessels are expected to participate in the second closure, running from November 9 through January 11, 2027. Forty-four of Ecuador’s 107 purse seiners opted to pause fishing during the ongoing veda. Of those, 35 are Class 6 vessels, with fishhold capacity exceeding 363 M/T, raising the risk of a supply crunch for Ecuadorian processors. The country’s canneries have already been grappling with declining skipjack supplies for months.