The annual Tuna Fisheries Assessment Reports (“TFARs”) provide the most up to date 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 links to detailed reference documents (accessible via the internet) are included for those seeking further details. This report is a smart PDF 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. 

This report focuses on the primary tuna stocks targeted by the main Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) industrial fisheries - skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), bigeye tuna (T. obesus) and South Pacific albacore tuna (T. alalunga).

Tuna purse-seine catches associated with Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) are typically more diverse than catches set on “free school” tuna, including both smaller target tuna as well a variety of bycatch species that are often discarded.  In response, an annual FAD-fishing moratorium, of several months’ duration and Pacific-wide, has been implemented since 2009.  Despite the moratorium, there remains concern about adherence to FAD-free fishing requirements.  Additionally, seafood producers and consumers seek certification regarding the source of purse seine captured tuna.

Given this background, we became interested in developing a FAD-association verification test.  We have developed a simple technique, based on observer catch sampling, to determine whether a purse seine set is likely to have been associated with a FAD.  Our methodology, which can be easily implemented “in the field”, has a prediction accuracy rate of up to 86%.  Details of the methodology have been published, in Open Access format, in the journal Fisheries Research.