Pacific tuna update: 20th Meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Abstract

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), the governing body for the world’s largest tuna fishery, held its 20th annual Commission meeting in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, in December 2023. This commentary provides an overview of the meeting and its outcomes. Revisions to the tropical tuna measure were the main focus of member states’ attention, alongside the determination of an interim Target Reference Point for South Pacific albacore, compliance monitoring reporting, and updates to measures and harvest strategies for Northern Stocks. The members were able to comprehensively address the management of the tropical tuna species and made progress on harvest strategies. Harvest strategies are pre-determined management actions that would reduce the reliance on short-term management decisions and achieve a long-term management framework. However, other important issues, such as developing an allocation framework, remained unresolved despite the member's commitment to start developing such a framework at this year’s meeting. Emerging shifts in meeting dynamics were observed and may signal changes in how the WCPFC operates moving forward.