The total number of purse-seine vessels – calculated based on data from the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) – has increased from 1,721 in 2020 to 1,855 today, according to the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation’s (ISSF) updated Large-Scale Tuna Purse-Seine Fishing Fleets report, released in July.
The report also found approximately 678 vessels defined as large-scale purse-seine vessels targeting tropical tuna species – skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye – a decrease of 2.6 percent from 2020. The vessels have a combined fishing capacity of over 865,000 cubic meters.
Purse-seine vessels account for approximately 69 percent of the 5 million metric tons of annual global tuna catch. Having an accurate estimate of active vessels is critical for managing tuna-fishing capacity regionally, as well as globally, but it can be challenging to compile.
ISSF analyzes and aggregates information from the five tuna RFMOs and other sources to provide an annual best estimate. These numbers may actually underestimate the total fleet, according to the report, because many small-scale purse seiners or purse seiners operating in only one exclusive economic zone do not have to be listed on RFMOs’ records of authorized fishing vessels.
Approximately 16 percent of the 678 large-scale vessels are authorized to fish in more than one RFMO, which should be taken into account in any efforts to manage fishing capacity at a regional level, IFFO said. The majority of these large-scale vessels – 503 to be exact – are registered on the ISSF ProActive Vessel Register (PVR). PVR-registered large-scale purse seine vessels represent 74 percent of the total large scale vessels – and 81 percent in fish hold volume. Among the RFMOs, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission has the highest number of large-scale purse-seine registrations with 341, more than half of the total worldwide.
The report also covers purse-seine vessel construction, distribution, and fish hold volume by national flag. It offers recommendations for vessel owners on registration for IMO numbers and for RFMOs on vessel-data collection and management, such as a recommendation to publish lists of active vessels.
Photo courtesy of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation
