As the Pacific marks World Tuna Day 2025, the region’s journey in transforming tuna fisheries into a model of sustainability offers critical lessons for global ocean stewardship.
Over two decades, collaborative governance, technological innovation, and community-led initiatives have safeguarded the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), home to 60% of the world’s tuna, while boosting economic resilience.
An upcoming report, Pacific Power: A 20-Year Journey to Transform Tuna Fisheries, sees the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project delving into the key lessons learned from two decades of intensive work to foster sustainable tuna fisheries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean. OFMP was started in 2005, with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) where its work continues 20 years later.
“Here in the Pacific, we not only value tuna as an important species, but we recognise it as an integral part of our livelihoods,” says FFA Director General Noan Pakop.
“In fact, Tuna is a pillar of our identity, a driver of our economies, and a cornerstone of our food systems.
“Our tuna stocks – skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye, and South Pacific albacore – remain amongst the healthiest in the world. This success reflects the strong cooperation across our region and with our global partners.”
The FFA’s work in this space has been supported by Member Governments and Partners, including the Pacific Community (SPC), the Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office (PNAO) and World Wildlife Fund for Nature (WWF).
Regional unity: the foundation of sustainable management
The establishment of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) in 2004 marked a turning point, enabling Pacific nations to negotiate as a bloc. Ludwig Kumoru, FFA’s Director of Fisheries Management, recalls the shift:
“With the help of FFA and the Commission, we pushed ideas through as a block. People began taking ownership of measures, seeing that to benefit, we had to step up,” he said.
Regional frameworks like the Parties to the Nauru Agreement’s Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) revolutionised economics, quadrupling license revenues to $550 million annually by 2019 while curbing overfishing.
Harvest strategies, binding pre-agreed management rules, now guide decisions for skipjack tuna and are expanding to other species.
Curbing illegal fishing: people, rules, and tech
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Pacific has plummeted to 6.5% of catches-down from 15% in 2015, thanks to regional surveillance networks and electronic monitoring. The FFA’s Regional Fisheries Surveillance Centre tracks vessels in real-time via satellite, while 100% observer coverage on purse seiners ensures compliance.
Allan Rahari, FFA’s Director of Fisheries Operations, highlights the tech revolution: “The elevation of electronic reporting as a key tool to addressing unreported, misreported catches on fishing vessels has continued to strengthen.”
Climate resilience: preparing for a warmer ocean
Climate change remains a key existential threat, with tuna stocks projected to shift eastward, potentially reducing biomass in Pacific EEZs by 30% by 2050. Dr. Valerie Allain, SPC Senior Scientist, warns: “Based on the work we have done, we are expecting significant changes, not in the next decade, but more around the 2040 – 2050 timeframe.”
OFMP has integrated climate models into stock assessments, enabling dynamic management.
Initiatives like biodegradable fish aggregating devices (FADs) and protected migratory corridors also help strengthen ecosystem resilience.
Empowering coastal communities
From Fiji to the Marshall Islands, communities are pivoting to sustainable practices. Nearshore FADs, help fishers transition from overexploited reefs to pelagic species. As the late Hugh Walton, former OFMP leader, who passed away in November 2024 noted: “FADs are lifelines. They offer food security as reefs decline.” A FAD workshop held in Nouméa in 2023 and supported by OFMP helped build capability in FAD management.
An OFMP-supported project in the Cook Islands is also assisting sustainable turtle tourism, using facial recognition technology to track the movements of turtles so their population can be better understood.
The road ahead
The OFMP report underscores that tuna sustainability hinges on four pillars: regional cooperation, technology, climate adaptation, and inclusive governance. As the Pacific navigates warming seas, its success offers a roadmap: invest in science, empower communities, and prioritise equity.
On World Tuna Day 2025, the message is clear: tuna aren’t just a resource, they’re a testament to what’s possible when nations unite for the ocean. With lessons from the Pacific, the world can ensure that tuna thrive for generations, anchoring ecosystems and economies alike.
For Ludwig Kumoru, a 30-year veteran of fisheries management, the type of capacity building supported by OFMP has been integral to building the capability to allow fisheries management to be successfully adopted across a wide and diverse region.
“If we didn’t have help from [OFMP], most of the things that we see happening wouldn’t have happened,” he says.
“Through the help of OFMP3, members are better organised. We have knowledge transfer. It has really helped the Pacific to where they are today.”
