World Tuna Day

Since the onset of large-scale commercial exploitation in the 1950s, global tuna catches have steadily risen, reaching 1 million tonnes in the mid-1960s, 2 million tonnes in the mid-1980s, 3 million tonnes in 1990, 4 million tonnes in the late 1990s, 5 million tonnes in 2014, and finally topping out at 5.4 million tonnes in 2019. The global tuna catch has been stable at around 5 million tonnes since then. In 2023, the latest available data, the global tuna catch was approximately 5.2 million tonnes. The majority of tuna catches are attributed to skipjack tuna (57 percent), followed by yellowfin tuna (31 percent), bigeye tuna (7 percent), albacore tuna (4 percent), and three species of bluefin tuna (1 percent). In terms of fishing methods, purse seining accounts for 66 percent of global tuna catches, while longlines (9 percent), pole-and-line (7 percent), gillnets (4 percent) and other miscellaneous gea...

  About 11 percent of the world’s tuna production comes from Atlantic Ocean (AO) stocks –FAO Major Fishing Areas 21, 27, 31, 34, 41 and 47. Catches of skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna, albacore tuna and bluefin tuna in 2023 totaled 544 700 tonnes, a 9 percent decrease from 2022 levels. The total catch has generally declined since the mid-1990s, followed by an upward trend since 2009 (FIGURE E.1.13). The catch of tropical tunas (bigeye tuna, yellowfin tuna and skipjack) in the AO initially steadily increased by approximately 100 000 tonnes per decade, reaching 100 000 tonnes in 1963, 200 000 tonnes in 1971, and 300 000 tonnes in 1980. It then quickly rose to 0.4 million tonnes by 1982, before reaching 500 000 tonnes in 1994. Total catches declined to 300 000 tonnes in 2006 but then began increasing again, reaching a historical high of 520 000 tonnes in 2018. Since then, catches h...

The FAO Common Oceans Tuna Project together with project partner ICCAT is convening a joint tuna-RFMO workshop focused on Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). This workshop brings together scientists, managers, and stakeholders from each of the five tuna RFMOs to: Share lessons learned and best practices for MSE development from across the RFMOs. Consider opportunities for collaboration as well as ways to harmonize and streamline MSE development processes across the tuna RFMOs. The Common Oceans Program is a global partnership funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), implemented by FAO. The Tuna Project seeks to achieve responsible, efficient, and sustainable. Watch the livestream!

On May 2nd ; The World Tuna Day 2025 will be observed to raise awareness about the importance of tuna conservation and sustainable fishing practices. The day will highlight the vital role tuna plays in global food security, economic development, and marine biodiversity and address the concerns about overexploitation of tuna species.  To participate to the  World Tuna Day , Please Register to the virtual-event!  

The  International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) oversees the conservation and management of a variety of Atlantic marine species, including tunas, swordfish, marlin and sharks, and adopts measures to minimize bycatch of turtles and seabirds associated with these fisheries. This responsibility is shared among ICCAT’s 52 members, including the United States. Tuna  RFMOs are intergovernmental organizations that carry out data collection, scientific monitoring and management of tuna and tuna-like resources. Register to participate to the ICCAT/CICTA/CICAA upcoming meetings First Virtual Working Group on Sustainable Financial Position for ICCAT Meeting (VWG-SF) Online 10-13 Feb Working Group on Stock Assessment Methods Meeting (WGSAM) Hybrid, Madrid (Spain) 11-12 Feb Online Reporting Technology Working Group Meeting (WG-ORT) Online 4-6 Mar Panel 2 Intersessional Meeting Hybrid, Madrid (Spain) 10-14 Mar Shortfin Mako Shark Data Preparatory Meeting Hyb...