The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released the latest version of its Status of the Stocks Ratings, which compiles the scientific records of the different major tuna stocks by each of the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) into one document.
The most significant changes since the last version released in April 2014 are in ratings for Pacific bigeye stocks (EPO and WCPO). The abundance rating for those bigeye stocks changed from a green rating (stock is healthy) to orange (the stocks are overfished with regards to MSY levels).
There are 23 stocks of the major commercial tuna species worldwide – six albacore, four bigeye, four bluefin, five skipjack and four yellowfin stocks. The Status of the Stocks summarises the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. In addition, this report ranks the status and management of the 23 stocks using a consistent methodology in terms of three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).
According to the latest report, globally, 52% of the stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, 39% are overfished and 9% are at an intermediate level. In terms of exploitation, 43.5% of the stocks are experiencing a low fishing mortality rate, 17.4% are experiencing overfishing, and 39.1% have a high fishing mortality that is being managed adequately.
When viewed from the point of view of total catch, 86% of the catch comes from healthy stocks. This is due to the fact that skipjack stocks contribute more than one half of the global catch of tunas, and they are all in a healthy situation. In contrast, most bluefin stocks and two out of six albacore stocks are overfished, but combined they make a relatively small fraction of the total catch.
