Updated: December 31, 2007

Current and Remaining Bigeye Tuna Catch

Click here for the current estimate of the longline bigeye tuna catch and remaining quota for 2007 in the IATTC Convention Area. (pdf 26 kB)

Background

The United States is a member of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), established to provide an international arrangement to ensure the effective international conservation and management of highly migratory species of fish in the IATTC Convention Area. The Convention Area is defined to include waters bounded by the coast of the Americas, the 40 degrees N and 40 degrees S parallels, and the 150 degrees W meridian (see map). The IATTC maintains a scientific research and fishery monitoring program, and annually assesses the status of stocks of tuna and the fisheries to determine appropriate harvest limits or other management measures.

At the June 2006 IATTC meeting, a Resolution for a Program on the Conservation of Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean for 2007 was adopted regarding tuna conservation and management measures for 2007. The resolution calls for a U.S. quota for longline-caught bigeye tuna in the Convention Area of 500 metric tons (mt) for 2007. This quota was approved by the U.S. Department of State to prevent overfishing of the bigeye tuna.

The longline fishery for bigeye tuna will close in the Convention Area when the 500 mt bigeye tuna quota has been reached. This is intended to limit fishing mortality caused by longline fishing, and to contribute to long-term conservation of tuna stocks at levels that support healthy fisheries.

Authority: 50 CFR 300.25