Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Improvement on World's Most Valuable Tuna Fisheries

[WB Staff]

Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission Must Improve Control Over World's Most Valuable Tuna Fisheries

The tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean are the largest and most valuable in the world. The region is the source of 55 percent of global tuna catch, with an annual value of more than $5 billion to fishermen in the region and over $22 billion at the final point of sale. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is the regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) responsible for managing these vast ocean waters. It is charged with ensuring the sustainability of the highly migratory fish stocks, including tunas and sharks, in the area, but faces significant management challenges due in part to the high volume of fishing vessels, transshipment (transfer of catch between fishing and carrier vessels) and port activities in the region.

Read it all: https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-a ... uable-tuna

[mark poulson]

I hoe they find a way to control this before it's too late.

[WRB]

Big problem because mother ships from all over the world work these ocean waters. The ships are equipped with helicopters and a group of smaller net boats stay at sea for long time periods.
Satilite tracking is about the only way to tract these fleets with some agreed schedule for logging and reporting daily catches to a central command center.
Years ago we were fishing about 60 miles outside of Guadalupe island on a private boat catching big Big eye tuna when out of knowhere a 300 ft Siener wrapped us and put a helicopter on top of use telling us to leave as they pumped the school if tuna out of the net into a the ship registered in Portugal.
The fleet stays on top of the tuna schools for months at time off loading the catch to big ships ferrying the load to some far off port.
Tom
PS, the photo of the mother ship with a Siener reminds of the fleet working the area.