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88% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels; 10% Requires Stronger Management
Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 88% comes from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the November 2024 ISSF Status of the Stocks report, marking an improvement of two percentage points compared to previous March 2024 report findings. Overfished stocks account for 10% of the total catch—unchanged from the last report. The percentage of the catch that came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance decreased from 4%—as reported in March 2024—to 2%.
Changes in stock status ratings since the March 2024 report include:
- Abundance or “spawning biomass” (SSB) and exploitation rate or fishing mortality (F) ratings for Eastern Pacific Ocean bigeye improved from yellow to green.
- Pacific Ocean bluefin’s F rating also improved from yellow to green.
- SSB and F ratings for Atlantic Ocean Mediterranean albacore changed from orange to yellow. However, there is high uncertainty about the stock status due to poor monitoring and basic fishery statistics.
According to the November 2024 report, the below tuna stocks are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:
- Indian Ocean bigeye and Indian Ocean yellowfin stocks are overfished and subject to overfishing, unchanged since the March 2024 report.
- Pacific Ocean bluefin is overfished, also unchanged since the March 2024 report.
In terms of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) stock management, key updates since March 2024 include:
- The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) adopted a new management procedure for skipjack tuna that will help reverse overcatch and ensure the long-term sustainability of the species.
- The IOTC and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) released updated fish aggregating device (FAD) measures, helping to improve how FADs are used and managed, reducing the impacts of FADs on the ecosystem, and increasing monitoring of these devices at sea.
ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report several times yearly using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks. This Status of the Stocks report summarizes the results of recent scientific assessments of these stocks and the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs, as of September 30, 2024.
Featured Tool
Interactive Stock Status Tool
Our interactive tool allows you to visualize current and historical data from ISSF’s Status of the Stocks report. The tool has three tabs — one for visualizing tuna stock health since 2011, another for visualizing the current tuna catch by fishing method, and a third with catch trends by fishing method since 1950.
ICYMI
ISSF Welcomes Strong Outcomes for Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at Management Meeting, including the Adoption of Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently wrapped its annual meeting in Fiji. With the majority of the world’s tuna catch sourced from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), the WCPFC gathering is highly anticipated and closely watched.
This year’s meeting concluded with several positive results for Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries, including for electronic monitoring (EM) and management procedures. ISSF urged action on these priority topics, among others. Here is a review of the outcomes of the WCPFC meeting against our organization’s most critical asks.
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World Fishing & Aquaculture
