Blog

This week, as the 19th Scientific Committee (SC) of WCPFC convenes, a new study can help inform the ongoing evaluation of proposed management measures for skipjack, bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO).

Pacific fishery managers just received a dose of good news: The management procedure for skipjack tuna – the largest tuna fishery in the world – was run for the first time and works as expected.

Next week, IATTC’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) will convene for its 14th annual meeting to discuss and finalize scientific recommendations to the upcoming Commission meeting where measures can be adopted.

On May 2nd, World Tuna Day celebrates the day in 2016 that governments around the world publicly agreed on the need to manage tuna stocks sustainably, emphasizing the importance of conservation management.

The treaty is a momentous step not only for the future of MPAs, but also for the RFMOs we frequently work with as the entry of a second form of conservation policy in managing marine resources on the High Seas. So we can’t help but wonder; How will different stakeholders in RFMO fisheries respond to the treaty? What are the implications for RFMOs and international fisheries at large? And ultimately, will the BBNJ treaty and RFMOs get along, or might they stand in each other’s way?