The total world catch of the major commercial tuna species (albacore, bigeye, bluefin, skipjack and yellowfin) has increased during the last 50 years (from 0.4 to 3.9 million tonnes), but the pattern of increase has varied among species, oceans and fishing gears. The Pacific Ocean has been the predominant region in the world catch, with catches from the Indian Ocean having exceeded those from the Atlantic Ocean in recent years. This publication examines historical trends in the catches of these tuna species and considers the causes of the variations.
This paper reviews historical trends of the catches of the major commercial species (albacore, bigeye, bluefin, skipjack and yellowfin) of tunas. The total world catch of these species has increased during the last 50 years (from 0.4 to 3.9 million tonnes), but the pattern of increase has varied among species, oceans and fishing gears. The causes of those variations are analyzed in this paper. In the world catch, the Pacific Ocean has been predominant throughout. In recent years catches from the Indian Ocean have exceeded those from the Atlantic.
Peter Wilson has played a key role in the development of the worlds largest and most important tuna resource in the Western Pacifi c. Aft er studying Japanese and Fisheries at the University of Washingtons College of Fisheries he became one of the initi al users of SCUBA gear for commercial fi shing. He was then hired by Bumble Bee Seafood Company to conduct fi sheries surveys in Japan, Okinawa, Palau, Palmyra, French Frigate Shoals, Johnston Island, Midway and elsewhere. Aft er establishing arti fi cial reefs in Guam and using explosives to create improved ocean circulati on in Tumon Bay for tourism development, he was retained by the Micronesian governments to head up fi sheries development for Palau, FSM and the Marshall Islands. During this period he established the fi rst commercial tuna fi shing operati on in the Western Pacifi c aft er WWII and dive industries in Palau and Truk (Chuuk). He then went to Oman to prepare a Five Year Fisheries Development Program and was then retained by FAO to serve as the Director of Fisheries and Advisor to Government of Papua New Guinea for seven years to head up their fi sheries operati ons, He then created Global Ocean Consultants and was then selected by the Republic of Maldives to establish a World Bank fi nanced tuna industry on a small atoll with no harbor, housing, power or water. GOC provided management and training services for fi ve years and during this period established a profi table cannery, can manufacturing plant, fi shmeal plant and brought producti on up to over 60 tons a day.
This publication contains papers relating to the FAO project on tuna fisheries management. Topics discussed include: the development of tuna fisheries and resources, trends in tuna catches and market influences, the status of tuna stocks, fishing capacity of industrial tuna purse-seine and longline fleets, a global study of non-industrial tuna fisheries, problems of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and overcapacity of tuna fishing vessels.
In a lively account of the American tuna industry over the past century, celebrated food writer and scholar Andrew F. Smith relates how tuna went from being sold primarily as a fertilizer to becoming the most commonly consumed fish in the country. In American Tuna, the so-called "chicken of the sea" is both the subject and the backdrop for other facets of American history: U.S. foreign policy, immigration and environmental politics, and dietary trends. Smith recounts how tuna became a popular low-cost high-protein food beginning in 1903, when the first can rolled off the assembly line. By 1918, skyrocketing sales made it one of America’s most popular seafoods. In the decades that followed, the American tuna industry employed thousands, yet at at mid-century production started to fade. Concerns about toxic levels of methylmercury, by-catch issues, and over-harvesting all contributed to the demise of the industry today, when only three major canned tuna brands exist in the United States, all foreign owned. A remarkable cast of characters— fishermen, advertisers, immigrants, epicures, and environmentalists, among many others—populate this fascinating chronicle of American tastes and the forces that influence them.
Of the principal market species, the status of three of the 23 stocks is unknown; namely, albacore in the Mediterranean Sea and skipjack in the Atlantic (two stocks).
Advances in Tuna Aquaculture: From Hatchery to Market provides detailed overviews on the current status of tuna fisheries, fattening, and farming practices, as well as advances in closed-cycle tuna aquaculture. Contributors are renowned scientists, internationally recognized as authorities in their fields. This book addresses all basic and applied aspects of tuna aquaculture, presenting and discussing the global status of tuna fisheries, reproduction, broodstock management, spawning, larval rearing and early developmental stages including nursery and grow out methods. It presents incorporates the most comprehensive and updated data, statistics, and trends in tuna fisheries and aquaculture, covering and addresses a variety of topics ranging fromfrom endocrinology, nutrition, diseases, and genetics to economics and markets. It covers describes recent up-to-date progress on tuna aquaculture and hatchery development. It also provides a synopsisn overview of the challenges presently confronted by tuna aquaculturists,facing tuna aquaculture and and offers innovative views on the challengesbottle-neck issues faced by the industry with the current shift from fisheries to fattening to closed-cycle aquaculture. This is the first book to encompass all aspects related to the tuna aquaculture industry, and merges them into a state-of-the-art compendium that will serve as seminal reference for students, researchers, and professionals working with tuna biology, fisheries, and aquaculture worldwide. Incorporates and reviews the most recent information on tuna fisheries and aquaculture Presents the most innovative production technologies in tuna aquaculture, from hatchery to market Includes important information on tuna, derived from industry experience and academic research on larval rearing technology and grow out operations Encompasses and discusses key topics such as genetics, diseases, nutrition, endocrinology, and reproduction, as well as developments, challenges, and future opportunities in tuna aquaculture Provides the latest scientific methods and technologies to maximize efficiencies and production Presents the independent and collective assessments, viewpoints, and visions of various scientists, all internationally recognized as authorities in the field
Conservation and Management of Transnational Tuna Fisheries reviews and synthesizes the existing literature, focusing on rights-based management and the creation of economic incentives to manage transnational tuna fisheries. Transnational tuna fisheries are among the most important fisheries in the world, and tuna commissions are increasingly shifting toward this approach. Comprehensively covering the subject, Conservation and Management of Transnational Tuna Fisheries summarizes global experience and offers practical applications for applying rights-based management and the creation of economic incentives, addressing potential problems as well as the total level of capacity. This reference work is divided into four parts, beginning with an overview of the book, including the issues, property rights, and rights-based management. The subsequent sections address issues arising with property rights, discuss bycatch, and cover compliance, enforcement, trade measures, and politics. Written by an expert team of international authors, Conservation and Management of Transnational Tuna Fisheries will appeal to social and fisheries scientists and fishery managers in universities and research institutions, government and non-governmental organizations, fisheries management bodies, members of the fishing industry, and international institutions.
Flag of convenience fishing seriously undermines efforts to protect the marine environment. To counter this threat, Market Denial and International Fisheries Regulation rests on the logic of the most basic tenet of economics: if no market exists for a product then producers will cease to produce. Denying market access to the flag of convenience fishing fleet should significantly reduce instances of illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. In areas beyond national jurisdiction not only is market denial the most effective means of undermining the IUU fleet, it is, for most practical purposes, the only way to do so. To what extent, however, do the laws of the sea and international trade allow groups of States to close their markets to non-compliant fishing vessels?
Historically, whenever tuna was hauled ashore, the sounds of battle were never far away. ‘Tuna Wars’ tells the untold story of the power struggles emerging around tuna, from the distant past to your present-day dinner table. In the ancient past, the giant tuna was the first fish to become the basis of a large-scale industry and a ‘global’ trade that created fortunes: Hannibal was able to finance his elephant campaign on Rome thanks to tuna. From the Middle Ages on, a tuna fishing monopoly on Spain’s southern coast allowed the nobility to completely dominate the area and even lead the ‘invincible’ Armada. When the markets for tuna increased exponentially thanks to technical advances, tuna eventually became a billion-dollar business and one of the most-consumed fish species worldwide. But this massive expansion came at a price. An 18th century monk in Madrid was the first to warn that tuna fisheries needed to be run sustainably for the sake of future generations. And the issue of sustainability would go on to become a game-changer in the modern tuna wars, characterized by new alliances and partnerships, hybrid warfare and commercial power struggles. In addition to accompanying you through the history of tuna and sharing insights into fisheries science and approaches to sustainably managing fisheries, Tuna Wars offers practical guidance on choosing sustainably fished tuna. In short, it will tell you everything you ever wanted to know about tuna, but were afraid to ask.
