By Bernadette Carreon
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) has adopted a revised tropical tuna measure to keep the stocks of yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, and albacore healthy.
Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) Chief Executive Officer Dr Sangaalofa Clark welcomed the measure’s adoption saying it has performed well in the past.
“The measure had performed well in the previous three years. It had contributed substantially to the current health status of WCPO tropical tuna stocks and fisheries, which were the only sustainable global fisheries for tropical tunas,” she said in a statement.
During the WCPFC deliberations, “PNA Members and Tokelau shared, with other members of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency, the need to take a precautionary approach to changes in the significant elements of the Tropical Tuna measure,” she stated. That precautionary approach is being informed by consideration of future impacts of climate change on Pacific tuna stocks.
Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Director-General Dr Manu Tupou- Roosen said the measure has been in place for two years, with the understanding “that certain things must happen” to ensure the sustainability of the region’s valuable resources.
She calls the measure a “positive outcome” that is “a great achievement for not just the FFA membership, but for the commission as a whole.”
The key tuna stocks in the region, bigeye, yellowfin, albacore, and skipjack tuna are all in a healthy state. According to a 2020 overview and status of stocks report issued recently by the Pacific Community (SPC), the stocks are not overfished.
The report states that the WCPFC tuna catch for 2020 was estimated at 2.743 million tonnes, compared to the record high of 2.987 tonnes in 2019.
The report further added purse seine fishery accounted for an estimated 1.881 tonnes. Pole-and-line fishery landed an estimated 235,000 tons in 2020.
However while the news on tuna stocks is good, because of the virtual nature of the meeting, several groups said other critical issues were not addressed.
The Pew Charitable Trusts said while the decision on the tropical tuna measure was welcome, the member nations include Pacific countries and distant water fishing nations such as China, US, Taiwan, and the European Union failed to act on various issues facing the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
“Costly and inefficient negotiations over basic management of valuable tropical tunas at this year’s WCPFC left little room to address critical issues such as the long-term health and sustainable supply of these fisheries, and measures to prevent illegal fishing and harm to vulnerable species, like sharks.
“Seafood markets and the public should be questioning governments about the significant resources deployed to make such little progress, and by the lack of transparency in how they arrived at decisions,” said Glen Holmes from the Pew Trusts.
The commission did not address calls to increase observer coverage requirements on longline vessels, with 95% of longline fisheries unmonitored.
And WCPFC members did not address a commitment to improve fisheries monitoring through proven techniques such as electronic monitoring.
Meanwhile, the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) said the WCPFC did not address the fate of 22 tuna fisheries facing suspension of their MSC certification for sustainable fishing.
MSC said this was “disappointing.” All 28 MSC certified tuna fisheries in the WCPO have time-bound conditions of certification that require the adoption of harvest strategies by June 2023, MSC said.
“The outcome of this week’s WCPFC meeting is disappointing for the fisheries, retailers, brands and supply chain companies which have worked so hard to achieve and support the high level of sustainability required for MSC certification,” MSC chief executive officer Rupert Howes said.
“The unprecedented support for these fisheries to maintain their current MSC certifications from supermarkets and tuna brands from around the world demonstrates the growing market demand for, and commitment to continue to source sustainable seafood despite the economic pressures and impacts of the current pandemic,” he continued.
