Tuna fisheries assessment reports provide current information on the tuna fisheries of the western and central Pacific Ocean and the fish stocks (mainly tuna) that are impacted by them. The information provided in this report is summary in nature, but a list of references (mostly accessible via the internet) is included for those seeking further details. This report is a smart PFD so if you click on a reference within the document it will take you to the figure/section, to return to the page you were on press alt and the left arrow key.
The Pacific Island region hosts 22 countries and territories with combined exclusive economic zones greater than 27 million square kilometres (km2), which among others, yields more than 30% of the world’s tuna. Yet land comprises only 2% of the area of the combined jurisdictions of all Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs).
central Pacific Ocean and the fish stocks (mainly tuna) that are impacted by them. The information provided in this report is summary in nature, but a list of references (mostly accessible via the Internet) is included for those seeking further details.
Ocean acidification and warming are co-occurring stressors, yet their effects on early life stages of large pelagic fishes are not well known. Here, we determined the effects of elevated CO2 and temperature at levels projected for the end of the century on activity levels, boldness, and metabolic traits (i.e., oxygen uptake rates) in larval kingfish (Seriola lalandi), a large pelagic fish with a circumglobal distribution.
Considering the concerns of climate change and its impacts on coastal fisheries resources, SPC is implementing the ‘Monitoring the Vulnerability and Adaptation of Coastal Fisheries to Climate Change’ project with funding assistance from the Australian Government’s International Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ICCAI).
Management of tuna fisheries within the region of the Western and Central Pacific Ocean is critically dependent on high quality fisheries data and information such as that collected through catch and effort logsheets, observer forms, port sampling forms and Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) etc.
While there are currently no exports for the aquarium trade out of Papua New Guinea (PNG), it has been documented that the country has development potential in this industry (EcoEZ, 2007; Teitelbaum et al, 2013). High freight and
operating costs have thus far been highlighted as the two main limiting factors.
This edition of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Tuna Fishery Yearbook presents annual catch estimates in the WCPFC Statistical Area (Figure 1) from 1950 to 2017. The tables of catch statistics cover the main commercial tuna and billfish species caught in the region: albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin (Thunnus albacares), black marlin (Makaira indica), blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), striped marlin (Tetrapturus audax) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius).
Papua New Guinea’s Exclusive Economic Zone (PNG EEZ), 2.4 million km2 in extent, is one of the largest and more productive in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. Industrial scale fisheries for tuna and associated species have operated since the 1950s, and in certain years, around 10% of the global catch of the main market species of tuna has been taken within the PNG EEZ. The tuna fishery is the largest of Papua New Guinea’s fisheries and represents a
balance of both domestic industry development and foreign Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFN) access
arrangements.
The Pacific island region covers an area of more than 27 million km2 and is dominated by ocean. The 22 Pacific island countries and territories are mostly small island states with significant geological, biological, and social diversity. Unsurprisingly, Pacific island people have a high dependence on their ocean resources for food security, livelihoods, and economic revenue, as well as cultural connections
to marine environments and animals.
The 1987 Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, which sets targets for eliminating by 2010 the production and consumption of a range of ozone depleting substances (ODS), principally the chlorofluorocarbons
(CFCs), has contributed to reversing the damage done to the ozone layer. Although challenges remain, the Montreal Protocol has been recognized as a global success, demonstrated by the massive reductions in ODS use worldwide since it came into force.
Cleaner Pacific 2025: Pacific Regional Waste and Pollution Management Strategy 2016–2025 is a comprehensive long-term strategy for integrated sustainable was te management and pollution prevention and control in the Pacific islands region until 2025. It provide s a strategic management framework to address waste, chemicals and pollutants that will reduce associated thr eats to sustainable development of the region.