October 28, 2023 — The U.S. House’s Natural Resources Committee has approved legislation that would finally bring America’s regulations into alignment with amendments to the South Pacific Tuna Treaty signed in 2016.
The 1987 treaty enables American tuna purse-seine vessels to fish in the exclusive economic zones of 16 Pacific Island nations and is key to the ongoing operations of America’s South Pacific tuna fleet. In 2016, the treaty signatories agreed to several amendments to the treaty. However, those changes have not been reflected in U.S. law, leaving South Pacific tuna fishermen in a state of uncertainty for years.