Posted on 08 December 2014

The two Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) that manage the important tuna fisheries of the western, central and eastern Pacific recently acted to try and save the north Pacific bluefin tuna, which is near total collapse, but ignored warnings that bigeye and yellowfin tuna could soon follow.  Skipjack and albacore tuna fisheries in the region also face overfishing. The two commissions, IATTC and WCPFC, agreed to halve catch quotas for north Pacific bluefin tuna – a fish stock that has crashed to 4 per cent of historic levels. However, such steps have come too late and may not prevent further overfishing as there are indications of further declines. WWF calls for stronger efforts to conserve and manage the various tuna stocks in the Pacific.  


Original article posted on: 08.12.14            Updated on: 26.03.14