Today, the tuna fishery of the western and central Pacific is one of the world's largest fisheries. Annual catches exceed 2 million mt--approximately 50% of the global tuna catch--with an estimated landed value of USD 3 billion (in 2005). The fishery expanded rapidly from the mid 1980s,...

The South Pacific albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) fishery is one of the region's oldest commercial fisheries. Fleets from major distant-water fishing nations (DWFNs) deploy long-line, troll and drift-net vessels in the fishery. While addressing issues of biology and distribution of stocks, the...