A coalition of 17 Pacific fisheries administrations has endorsed and formally submitted proposals for the management of bigeye tuna before an international commission meets in Vanuatu later this month. The proposal, announced by the Forum Fisheries Agency on 31 October, aims to bring purse-seine and longline fishing into a shared management procedure. That would be a significant policy development if accepted. Submission, however, is not agreement by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).
What happened in Honiara
Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members completed their 22nd Management Options Consultation in Honiara, Solomon Islands. A special officials' meeting endorsed the outcomes, and the agency said its members had formally submitted common positions for consideration at WCPFC23.
The 23rd commission meeting is scheduled for 30 November to 5 December 2026 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. It has not yet taken place as of the publication of the October 31 FFA release, so describing the new proposals as international rules already in force would be inaccurate.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · Pacific fisheries officials prepare united tuna position ahead of commission meeting · FFA proposal WCPFC23-2026-DP08 on management procedure for bigeye tuna
Why purse-seine and longline fleets are at the heart of the argument
Purse-seine vessels use encircling nets to catch tuna schools, while longline vessels deploy many baited hooks over large areas. The two fisheries interact with the same bigeye stock but differ in fishing methods, economics and how existing restrictions affect them.
FFA argues that measures targeting purse-seine activity can limit revenue opportunities for coastal island states while leaving different impacts on longline operations. The proposed procedure is intended to balance conservation responsibilities and economic interests across both methods rather than treating one fleet as the only management concern.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · Pacific fisheries officials prepare united tuna position ahead of commission meeting
What the proposed management procedure would do
The FFA said its plan would be WCPFC's first bigeye management procedure covering both purse-seine and longline fisheries if adopted. Such a procedure is a decision framework for adapting harvest levels or effort to indicators of stock condition and agreed objectives.
The agency describes this as a step toward managing a stock that it says accounts for about 40 percent of global bigeye tuna catches. That proportion is the agency's published estimate; it is not a forecast of next year's catch or revenue.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · FFA proposal WCPFC23-2026-DP08 on management procedure for bigeye tuna
Why a stock can need better rules without being declared overfished
FFA cited the latest assessment in saying the regional bigeye tuna stock has not been classified as overfished. That status does not mean governance choices are complete or that fishing pressure, climate shifts and distributional impacts require no monitoring.
Sustainable management involves both biological targets and the allocation of opportunities among coastal governments and distant-water fleets. Reported assessments should be read together with their uncertainties and the specific scope of the regional stock, not turned into a blanket claim about all tuna species.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · Pacific fisheries officials prepare united tuna position ahead of commission meeting
Albacore, transhipment and island-state rights are also on the agenda
The FFA package also discusses South Pacific albacore allocation, better fisheries reporting and monitoring, and a proposal to restrict high-seas vessel-to-vessel transfers until clearer guidelines are in place.
The long-term question is whether small island developing states can secure predictable rights and economic benefits while strengthening verification and compliance. All the items are requests for commission decisions; none should be described as a final, binding WCPFC measure on the basis of the FFA announcement alone.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · Pacific fisheries officials prepare united tuna position ahead of commission meeting
What to verify after the Vanuatu meeting
Follow the commission's adopted conservation and management measures, any negotiated changes to the bigeye management procedure, the treatment of albacore allocation and final compliance provisions. Look for actual resolution text and implementation schedules.
A well-supported next update will compare the October FFA proposals with the final WCPFC decisions rather than simply repeating campaign announcements. The immediate news is that Pacific island officials have coordinated a formal negotiating position.
Sources: FFA members submit bigeye tuna management proposal ahead of WCPFC23 · Pacific fisheries officials prepare united tuna position ahead of commission meeting · FFA proposal WCPFC23-2026-DP08 on management procedure for bigeye tuna
