The catch of tropical tunas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO).
Approximately 13 percent of the world’s tuna production comes from the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO )–FAO Major Fishing Areas 67, 77 and 87. In 2023, catches of skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna and bigeye tuna totaled around 761 800 tonnes, reflecting a 15 percent increase from 2022. The catch of tropical tunas in the EPO steadily increased since 1990s, reaching a record high of 800 000 tonnes in 2003. Total catches then declined until 2007 but have again been rising since, reaching the second-highest level in the entire time series in 2023 (FIGURE E.1.7). Catches of Pacific albacore tuna and Pacific bluefin tuna also occur in the EPO; however, these stocks are covered in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean section, as they are distributed there too. Average annual tropical tuna catches for the last five-year period (2019–2023) totalled 683 100 tonnes. During this recent period, skipjack tuna accounted for 49 percent of the catches by weight, follow...