Bigeye tuna is the cornerstone of the tropical longline fishery in the region, but this species is also taken as juveniles by surface gear. Catches peaked at 99,000 t in 2004 but have ranged from 67,000-77,000 t since then. Bigeye tuna stocks in the western and central Pacific Ocean were last assessed in July 2010 using data through 2009.

The assessment concluded that bigeye tuna is approaching an overfished state, if not already slightly overfished, with depletion to 42% of the unexploited stock biomass. Greater, sustainable overall yields are predicted if the mortality of small fish is reduced. Overfishing is occurring and the current catch is unlikely to be sustainable in the long term even at the high levels of recruitment estimated for the last decade. Advances in the methodology for this most recent assessment included improved fleet definitions, revised catch estimates for the Indonesia and Philippines fleets, and revised estimates of juvenile species composition in purse seine catches.

Full Document: Bigeye Tuna Assessment