August 31, 2021 — A weeklong Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) meeting, held to advance the commission’s protection of bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, has failed deliver any such conservation measure.
With the IATTC unable to reach consensus, discussions on the measure roll over to its next virtual meeting, scheduled to take place on 18 October.
August 2, 2021 — Small Pacific Island states depend on their commercial fisheries for food supplies and economic health. But our new research shows climate change will dramatically alter tuna stocks in the tropical Pacific, with potentially severe consequences for the people who depend on them.
As climate change warms the waters of the Pacific, some tuna will be forced to migrate to the open ocean of the high seas, away from the jurisdiction of any country. The changes will affect three key tuna species: skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye.
Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands and territories such as Tokelau charge foreign fishing operators to access their waters, and heavily depend on this revenue. Our research estimates the movement of tuna stocks will cause a fall in annual government revenue to some of these small island states of up to 17%.
This loss will hurt these developing economies, which need fisheries revenue to maintain essential services such as hospitals, roads and schools. The experience of Pacific Island states also bodes poorly for global climate justice more broadly.
June 28, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council and managers of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument (PMNM) agreed to work together yesterday at a meeting in Honolulu to develop a draft management plan ahead of the formal sanctuary proposal process scheduled to start this fall. In December 2020, President Trump signed a funding bill that would strengthen protections for the monument by designating it as a national marine sanctuary.
While the PMNM, and its subsequent expansion, was established via presidential proclamation, the sanctuary proposal process is a bottoms-up approach to management similar to the Magnuson-Stevens Act, and would give the Council “a seat at the table” to propose regulations for the entire area.
“After the 2016 expansion allowing recreational and subsistence fishing, we engaged with fishermen and native Hawaiian communities about fishing in the expanded area,” said Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds. “We had sessions about customary exchange, but didn’t get much traction.” This is allowed in the Marianas Trench and Rose Atoll Marine National Monuments.
The Council will collaborate with NOAA to prioritize issues and develop potential management actions for the proposed sanctuary, keeping in mind the sideboards of the original monument proclamation, such as the prohibition of commercial fishing.
Bigeye Tuna Catch Limits
The Council recommended setting a bigeye tuna longline catch limit of 2,000 metric tons (4.4 million pounds) for each of the U.S. Participating Territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. A limit of 1,500 metric tons (3.3 million pounds) per territory, up to 3,000 metric tons total, may be transferred to U.S. vessels as permitted through specified fishing agreements. Monies from these agreements, approved by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce, go into the Western Pacific Sustainable Fisheries Fund and are used to implement projects in each territory’s marine conservation plan.
A 2020 assessment for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) bigeye tuna says the stock is healthy—not subject to overfishing or overfished.
For 2023 to 2026, the Council supported not setting a bigeye tuna catch limit for the U.S. Participating Territories, and allowing each region to transfer up to 1,500 metric tons (4,500 metric tons total) to U.S. permitted vessels. This recognizes that a new Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conservation and management measure for tropical tunas is likely beginning in 2022, and stock assessments for WCPO bigeye tuna are expected in 2023 and 2026.
Main Hawaiian Islands Deep 7 Bottomfish Catch Limits
The Council recommended that NOAA implement the 492,000-pound annual catch limit with an in-season accountability measure for fishing years 2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24. According to a 2022 assessment, the stock is healthy—not overfished and no overfishing is occurring. It is estimated at 22 million pounds, nearly 2 million more pounds than the last assessment done in 2018.
Presidential Executive Orders
NOAA Deputy Assistant Administrator for Regulatory Programs Sam Rauch summarized the multi-agency Conserving and Restoring America the Beautiful report that provides recommendations on how the United States should achieve the goal of conserving at least 30% of waters by 2030. The report resulted from President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) 14008 on Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad.
Rauch posed several key questions for future engagement, including an evaluation of currently effective conservation actions and areas that meet the conservation criteria, among others. While the initiatives described in the report are not new, he emphasized the critical role of the regional fishery management councils in reaching the goals of the president, and noted it was a recognition justly earned for work done over the years.
Regarding the president’s EO 13985 and EO 14031 on advancing racial equality and underserved communities, the Council agreed to inform the Biden Administration of the barriers to providing equity, justice and opportunity to those in the Western Pacific Region. More than 75% of the region’s population identifies as indigenous, Asian American, Pacific Islander or other persons of color—all groups that fall under the EO’s definition of underserved communities that have historically been denied equitable treatment.
For years, Council leadership has reminded Administrations that “we are not asking for more, we are asking for different” to effectively support our Pacific communities.
The Council heard a presentation on EO 13985 that described equity barriers such as limited capacity, communication differences, available funding opportunities, regional representation and rigid national policies, among others. Members were reminded of Council-supported initiatives, like fishery development projects and territorial scholarships, aimed at addressing economic, social and educational disparities in the region.
“A perfect example of this is Guam fishermen’s applications for the CARES Act economic relief funds,” noted Michael Dueñas, Council member from Guam. “Initially, only 270 fishers applied due to lack of access to technology and language barriers. After extensive outreach, that number increased to 468.”
For meeting agenda and briefing materials, visit www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.
June 8, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
Click here for a complete PDF version of the 186th Action Item Summary Memo.
The 186th meeting of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council will convene June 22-24, 2021, by web conference (WebEx) with host sites at the following locations:
The WebEx link is https://tinyurl.com/186CouncilMtg (if prompted, enter event number: 133 181 5362; password: CM186mtg).
The Council will consider and may take action on the issues summarized below, including any public comments on them. Written public comments on final action items should be received by the Council’s executive director by 5 p.m. (HST), Friday, June 18, 2021, by postal mail, fax or email as indicated below.
Instructions for connecting to the WebEx and providing oral public comments during the meeting will be posted on the Council website at https://www.wpcouncil.org/event/186th-council-virtual-meeting/.
March 30, 2021 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:
Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 87.6% of the global catch continues to be sourced from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the newest International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 9.6% of the total tuna catch came from overfished stocks, and 2.8% came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance. This is the second update to this report since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the work of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).
Several tuna stocks worldwide are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:
ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report twice each year using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks.
Key Statistics in the Report
The Status of the Stocks report is reviewed by the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides advice on its content. The report does not advocate any particular seafood purchase decisions.
The Pandemic’s Impact on the Status of the Stocks
This is the second update to this report since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the work of the RFMOs. In particular, meetings of the scientific committees and commissions have been scheduled on different dates than usual, which delayed the November 2020 update of the report and made capturing the outcome of the latest RFMO commission meetings the main focus of this update.
RFMOs have issued exemptions to certain monitoring requirements such as observer coverage. As such, the summaries of management measures provided for the stocks, particularly in relation to observer coverage, may not be completely accurate in reflecting the monitoring that is ongoing during this exceptional period. The report includes changes to management in the Eastern Pacific, Western and Central Pacific, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean to incorporate all new or extended conservation measures adopted in late 2020 or early 2021.
About the Report
There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. The Status of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated twice per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).
ISSF produces two Status of the Stocks reports annually to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks. The Status of the Stocks presents a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report. Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.
In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. The “Interactive Stock Status Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page; users can easily toggle through tuna abundance and exploitation health indicators by catch or stock and filter by location and species as well as be informed about the share of total catch by species/stocks and gear types.
About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — a global coalition of seafood companies, fisheries experts, scientific and environmental organizations, and the vessel community — promotes science-based initiatives for long-term tuna conservation, FAD management, bycatch mitigation, marine ecosystem health, capacity management, and illegal fishing prevention. Helping global tuna fisheries meet sustainability criteria to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification standard — without conditions — is ISSF’s ultimate objective. To learn more, visit iss-foundation.org, and follow ISSF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.
December 22, 2020 — The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) agreed at a special session on 22 December to a rollover of its existing quotas for tropical tuna in the eastern Pacific for 2021.
The tropical tuna fishery – which includes bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks – brings in billions of dollars’ worth of fish annually. At its annual meeting earlier this month, the commission failed to reach a consensus on the management of tropical tunas by one vote – with Colombia opposing the resolution – leaving tuna fisheries without any rules of governance starting on 1 January.
December 16, 2020 — The 27 members of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) have approved the rollover of the tropical tuna measure for bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna, which without a consensus would have expired in February 2021.
The move by the WCPFC is in contrast with the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), which failed to reach a consensus on regulations, leaving the fishery unmanaged beginning 1 January, 2021. The renewal by the WCPFC is considered a victory, but the Pacific Islands Forum’s Fisheries Forum Agency (FFA) said much work remains left to be tackled at next year’s tuna commission.
December 16, 2020 — The following was released by the Marine Stewardship Council:
From 1 January there could be no restrictions for tropical tuna fishing in nearly half of the Pacific Ocean, increasing the risk of overfishing of commercially important skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye tunas, the Marine Stewardship Council warns, unless all the member governments reach an agreement on how to manage these stocks in 2021.
The MSC standard requires fisheries certified to its globally recognised standard to limit their catch within sustainable limits. Robust management is one of the fundamental principles of sustainable fisheries, especially for those catching highly migratory species such as tuna, as it prevents overfishing.
However, the body responsible in international law[i] for agreeing how much tuna is safe to catch is yet to reach a consensus on important measures to restrict tuna catch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in 2021. Scientific advice recommended to carry over the rules set for 2020 into 2021.
After the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) failed to reach an agreement at their meeting earlier this month, the Chair of IATTC has called an extraordinary meeting of the delegations on 22 December, recommending carrying over the 2020 management measures into 2021 and holding a series of further meetings in 2021 to develop the way tuna stocks are managed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.
IATTC had previously agreed management measures for skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. Having such measures in place even when stocks are perceived as healthy enables fisheries to act quickly when needed.
With increased demand for tuna globally comes increased pressure on tuna stocks and associated ecosystems. At present 17.5 % of the world’s tuna fisheries are overfished.
The Marine Stewardship Council’s Chief Science and Standards Officer, Dr Rohan Currey, said:
“We welcome IATTC’s decision to convene an extraordinary meeting, reflecting the critical importance of maintaining the conservation measures for tropical tuna stocks. The nations involved must find a way to reach a consensus that will protect the future health of these economically important stocks, that reflects scientific advice and is grounded in a robust long-term management plan.
“Nations have a duty to come together to manage fisheries and their impact on the oceans. If the IATTC cannot agree on how to manage this tropical tuna fishery, it will have effectively abandoned this duty, putting the future of the stocks at risk. We join with others in expressing deep concern about this and urge the delegates to reach a speedy decision on this at their extraordinary meeting on 22 December.”
December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:
Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 87% came from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the newest International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 10% of the total tuna catch came from overfished stocks and 3% from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance. The previous version of this report was published by ISSF in March 2020. This updated report reflects results of tuna RFMO meetings through October 2020, and the next version will include results of RFMO meetings that have taken place more recently or are taking place now.
Several tuna stocks worldwide are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:
Ratings for the following species have changed since last reported in March:
ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report twice each year using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks.
Key Statistics in the Report
The Status of the Stocks report is reviewed by the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides advice on its content. The report does not advocate any particular seafood purchase decisions.
The Pandemic’s Impact on the Status of the Stocks
This is the first update to this report since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the work of the RFMOs. In particular, meetings of the scientific committees and commissions have been scheduled on different dates than usual, and this has delayed this update.
Furthermore, readers should be aware that RFMOs issued exemptions to certain monitoring requirements such as observer coverage. As such, the summaries of management measures provided for the stocks, particularly in relation to observer coverage, may not be completely accurate in reflecting the monitoring that is ongoing during this exceptional period.
About the Report
There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. The Status of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated twice per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).
ISSF produces two Status of the Stocks reports annually to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks. The Status of the Stocks presents a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report. Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.
In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. The “Interactive Stock Status Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page; users can easily toggle through tuna abundance and exploitation health indicators by catch or stock and filter by location and species as well as be informed about the share of total catch by species/stocks and gear types.
December 8, 2020 — The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has failed to reach a consensus on the management of tropical tunas by one vote – with Colombia opposing the resolution – leaving tuna fisheries without any rules starting on 1 January.
The tropical tuna fishery – which includes bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks – includes billions of dollars of catch. With the failure to reach a consensus – the first time in the IATTC’s history – the fishery is left without any form of management, including quotas, gear types, and more. While individual countries can choose to implement regulations matching the proposed IATTC resolution, region-wide rules will end.