OPAGAC points out that the Chinese fleet could move its tuna fishing practices to new areas by having to abandon traditional fishing grounds

The Spanish tuna fleet asks for strengthening collaboration with Pacific RFOs to eradicate illegal fishing

A study predicts movements and increases in biomass of up to 25% of these tunas in international waters of the Pacific

Madrid – The Spanish tuna fleet, grouped in the Organization of Associated Producers of Large Freezer Tuna Vessels (OPAGAC), draws attention to the need to strengthen collaboration between the Regional Fisheries Organizations (RFOs) of the Western Pacific (WCPFC 1 ) and Eastern Pacific (IATTC 2 ), to prevent illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), especially by the Chinese fleet, linked to the displacement of the tuna population from its usual fishing areas in the western-central Pacific to others, such as the Eastern Central Pacific Ocean (EPO-C). These movements of tunas towards the high seas are caused by the warming of the waters that is causing climate change.

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OPAGAC points out that the Chinese fleet could transfer its fishing practices to these new areas to compensate for the loss of profitability that will be entailed for its activity by having to abandon the traditional tuna fishing grounds in the jurisdictional waters of small island states in the Pacific and in which it operated through fishing agreements. Thus, and according to the Fishful Thinking report by the consultancy Planet Tracker, the profitability of the Chinese fleet will be reduced by 29% as a consequence of this displacement of the species.

Regarding the movement of tuna populations from these jurisdictional waters to the high seas, a study by the University of Wollongong (Australia) predicts increases in the biomass of the three species of tropical tuna (skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye) of 25% and 18% in 2025 in these new areas and according to a high or moderate warming scenario, respectively. This would translate into 673,000 tonnes in the first case and 528,000 tonnes in the second scenario.

OPAGAC recalls that the bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack populations in the Pacific Ocean are in good condition, mainly thanks to the fishing effort management mechanisms adopted by both WCPFC and IATTC. For this reason and in light of this new scenario, the Spanish tuna fleet believes it is necessary to reinforce the control measures of both RFOs, as well as the monitoring of fleets that do not operate with purse seine gear and that could contribute to the overexploitation of these species through IUU fishing activities, as has been identified in the case of the Chinese fleet.

Possible measures

1 Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

2 Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission

OPAGAC recalls that, according to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), responsibility for fisheries management on the high seas falls primarily on the flag State of the fishing vessel and that the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement (UNFSA) states that only vessels whose flag State can effectively exercise control of their activity may fish on the high seas.

In this regard, OPAGAC advocates compliance with this regulation and recalls that there are numerous tools capable of ensuring the application of conservation and management measures, such as the vessel registry, the regional observer programme, the vessel monitoring system (VMS) or the limitations and control of transshipments on the high seas. Therefore, in the opinion of OPAGAC, it is necessary for these RFOs to increase surveillance and strengthen their mechanisms for controlling vessel activity (Vessel Monitoring System) and their catches (observer programs), implementing centralized systems that cover all the activity of fishing vessels, not only purse seiners, with 100% observer coverage, currently; and especially fleets belonging to Asian countries, which practice IUU fishing and which in certain fleets, such as the longline fleet, do not have observer coverage or catch control.

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