World Tuna Day

  Southern bluefin tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) is assessed and managed by the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT). Practically all of the catches are made in the IOTC, ICCAT and WCPFC convention areas (62 percent in the Indian Ocean, 25 percent in the Pacific Ocean and 13 percent in the Atlantic Ocean). Southern bluefin tuna catches in 2023 were approximately 17 300 tonnes, reflecting a 1 percent increase from 2022. Catches rose sharply from the beginning of the fishery around 1950, reaching a record high of 81 000 tonnes in 1961. However, they then declined continuously until 2011, when the lowest recorded catch of 9 459 tonnes was reported (FIGURE E.1.19). Since then, catches have been gradually increasing to the current level of 17 300 tonnes, largely due to strict catch limits established under the Southern Bluefin Tuna Management Procedure. This procedure, initially known as the “Bali Procedure” (adopted in ...

The Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT)  is an intergovernmental organisation responsible for the management of southern bluefin tuna throughout its distribution. The CCSBT's objective is to ensure, through appropriate management, the conservation and optimum utilisation of southern bluefin tuna. Members of the Extended Commission comprise: Australia, the European Union, the Fishing Entity of Taiwan, Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, New Zealand and South Africa (find out more about becoming a member or cooperating non-member ). Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii) are large, fast swimming, pelagic fish (ie. living in the open seas). SBT are found throughout the southern hemisphere mainly in waters between 30 and 50 degrees south but only rarely in the eastern Pacific. The only known breeding area is in the Indian Ocean, south-east of Java, Indonesia. Southern bluefin tuna can live for up to forty years, reach a weight of over 200 kilograms, and...