Scientists Are Mostly Optimistic About Pelagic Fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific

Catch of tuna and tunalike fish in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) saw a 6-percent increase in 2018 from the previous year. A total of 2,716,396 metric tons (mt) was caught–the second highest in recorded history. These tuna trend summaries were presented by the Pacific Community (SPC) to the Scientific Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) when it met in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), this past August. The WCPFC Scientific Committee meetings are held annually for scientists and interested parties to review the status of highly migratory fisheries in the WCPO and make possible conservation recommendations for the WCPFC to consider. The United States is a party to this international commission, which develops tuna quotas