The tuna fisheries of the western and central Pacific Ocean represent more than half the global tuna catch and are among the most valuable in the world, worth US$21 billion each year. But with such heavy fishing pressure and growing demand for seafood worldwide, there’s no guarantee this region can continue to produce at these levels, which is why the member governments of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) must adopt forward-looking, science-based measures for managing tuna.
Each day, the thousands of vessels plying these waters land tons of tuna, from the skipjack, yellowfin and albacore that underpin the canned tuna industry to the highly prized Pacific bluefin destined for sushi counters.
Historically, fisheries managers have relied on independent observers on board vessels to collect scientific data about these fisheries and ensure that crews are following WCPFC rules—including properly reporting catch. But although WCPFC requires 100 per cent observer coverage on the purse seine fleet, it mandates only 5 per cent observer coverage on longliners, a level that isn’t high enough to produce an accurate picture of what these vessels are doing on the water.
Opponents of raising that requirement—including some governments—cite the costs and logistics of having human observers onboard longline vessels, which can stay out at sea for months and even years.
However, there is a solution: Electronic monitoring (EM) systems—which usually consist of a central computer connected to onboard gear sensors and videos cameras—allow authorities to monitor and record a vessel’s activity remotely. Properly designed EM programs ensure that collected information is effectively transmitted, analyzed, stored and shared so fishery managers and others can reliably use it for scientific and compliance purposes. Plus, in the long term, EM will be less expensive than placing human observers on hundreds of longline vessels.
WCPFC has spent the past 10 years developing EM standards, which will provide binding guidelines for countries and vessels that want to use EM to augment human observers. But even though the WCPFC was the first of the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) to start creating standards, it is now falling behind. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission in the eastern Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas have already adopted EM standards.
It is time for WCPFC to finish the job. This year, at the 21st regular session of the Commission, which will be held in Suva, Fiji, from 28 November through 3 December, WCPFC members should adopt robust EM standards that enable governments to track their vessels’ fishing activity and ensure that they’re complying with the rules.
WCPFC fisheries also rely heavily on transshipment, which is the transfer of catch from a fishing vessel to a carrier vessel at sea or in port. New research shows that fleets transship nearly 1 million metric tons of fish, worth US$6.5 billion, in the western and central Pacific Ocean each year, more than any other region on Earth. While transshipment is an important piece of the fishing industry, it can also be used to transfer illegally caught species—or even guns, drugs and people—and stronger controls on the practice can help prevent these sorts of activities. WCPFC hasn’t updated its transshipment rules in 15 years, another instance of this RFMO lagging behind its peers.
In 2022, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recommended that RFMOs and countries adopt consistent transshipment authorization and notification procedures for vessels and fisheries authorities, post-transshipment reporting and information sharing between RFMOs and flag, port and coastal States. All other tuna RFMOs, as well as the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organisation and North Pacific Fisheries Commission, which oversee other Pacific fisheries beyond tuna, have adopted transshipment rules that reflect the FAO guidance, which shows that following these guidelines is possible.
With no major catch limit negotiations on this year’s agenda, WCPFC members have ample time to improve their oversight of their valuable fisheries. By adopting EM standards and finally embracing transshipment reform, WCPFC can begin to hold its longline fleet to the same standards that its purse seiners meet. And the Commission can finally join other RFMOs in moving towards more sustainable, transparent fisheries management, leveling the playing field for those operating legally and ensuring a sustainable supply for seafood markets and consumers alike.
Glen Holmes and Dave Gershman are senior officers working on Pew’s international fisheries program.