The current quota stands at 14,200 tonnes a year. This plea comes in anticipation of the upcoming 18th Special Meeting of the Commission in
“ICCAT must keep recovery ambitions high for the fragile bluefin tuna. Big achievements are long in the making but in only an instant can be lost,” warned Dr Sergi Tudela, head of Fisheries, WWF-Mediterranean.
Contracting parties and the fishing sector must commit to following scientific advice, WWF said, as it has been paying off: there are now signs of a stock increase.
Still, "the magnitude and speed of the increase vary considerably," Associated Pressreports.
“ICCAT scientists are clear this year that the fishing quotas must not increase to enable Atlantic bluefin tuna to fully recover over the next decade. WWF calls on ICCAT contracting parties to stick to this recommendation”, said Tudela.
Amanda Nickson, director of the Global Tuna Conservation Campaign at the Pew Environment Group, stressed that species’ recovery remains very uncertain.
"So it's important from our perspective we retain pressure on governments at ICCAT to listen to that science. Our key message is: 'hold those quotas where they are'," she stated.
ICCAT first adopted a plan to reduce the fleet capacity for the Atlantic bluefin tuna in 2008, which was further refined in 2010. The current plan ends in 2013, when it is assumed to have phased out all fishing overcapacity in the Eastern Atlantic and in the
Nonetheless, a recent assessment shows that the current plan is based on catch rates of fishing fleets that resulted in continued overcapacity.
“There are still too many boats for too few fish to be sustainably caught,” noted Tudela. “We call on ICCAT to extend the capacity reduction plan for the next three years using updated and accurate estimates of potential catch rates to ensure overcapacity is fully removed within the next three years.”
He also said that WWF will be watching ICCAT on measures decided to fight illegal, unregulated, unreported catches (IUU), which has been vital to the initial stock recovery.
“Poor decision-making on this matter risks taking this fishery back to the dark ages and destroying the achievements of years of productive collective work. Serious investigations on all potential infringements and adequate measures to tackle IUU catches are still crucial,” Tudela added.
Last week, the Centre for Biological Diversity renewed its efforts to protect bluefin tuna under the US’s Endangered Species Act. More than 40,000 people have joined the Centre’s bluefin boycott campaign and pledged not to eat at restaurants serving the tuna, and dozens of chefs and restaurant owners have vowed not to sell it,Examiner reports.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The year 2025 marks the 30th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between Vietnam and the United States (1995–2025). In parallel with the nation's progress in international economic integration, bilateral seafood trade has followed a remarkably impressive growth trajectory, expanding from an initial scale of just tens of millions of US dollars to nearly $2 billion annually. This growth has positioned the United States as Vietnam’s largest seafood export market for many consecutive years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 12, 2025, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Processing and Export (VASEP) issued document 231/CV-VASEP regarding strengthening measures to combat IUU fishing and working with the Government to lift the EC's IUU yellow card warning.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Tilapia is easy to farm and provides high economic and nutritional value, making it a sought-after export commodity in many countries.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s seafood exports in the first 10 months of 2025 recorded significant progress, reaching more than USD 9.5 billion, up 15% year-on-year. This result reflects the sector’s persistent efforts amid a highly volatile market, especially policy shocks from the US Although signs of slowdown emerged in the third quarter due to countervailing taxes, key product groups still maintained strong momentum and created a foundation for full-year exports to reach USD 11 billion.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s agreement with the United States on a framework for reciprocal, fair, and balanced trade—reached during the 2025 ASEAN Summit in Malaysia—has generated strong optimism for Vietnamese exports, including tuna. Numerous positive points in the joint statement have raised high expectations for Vietnamese export goods, but turning these expectations into tangible benefits remains a long and challenging journey.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) At the conference on “Linking the Production and Consumption Chain of Ca Mau Crab 2025,” Vice Chairman of the Ca Mau Provincial People’s Committee Lê Văn Sử posed a central question: how to shift the province’s crab exports toward official trade channels, instead of relying heavily on small-scale border trade with China as currently practiced.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The whitefish market in Japan is showing a clear divergence among supplying countries, in which Vietnam continues to affirm its role as a stable and high-potential exporter. Vietnam currently ranks third after the US and Russia in whitefish export value to Japan. Thanks to tariff incentives and the ability to meet Japan’s strict standards, Vietnamese pangasius continues to record a stable and positive growth trend.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The People's Committee of Ca Mau Province has just issued a plan to expand the super-intensive, low-water-exchange, biosecure white-leg shrimp farming model (RAS-IMTA) for whiteleg shrimp farming to a scale of 1,500 hectares, aiming to develop high-tech, sustainable and environmentally friendly shrimp farming.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Sa Giang Import-Export Joint Stock Company (HNX: SGC) plans to issue over 7.1 million shares to raise nearly 465 Billion VND for Hoan Ngoc M&A Deal.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) According to Rabobank, global tilapia production is forecast to exceed 7 million tons in 2025, driven by a strong recovery in major producing countries including China, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Among them, Vietnam is emerging as a potential tilapia supplier in the global supply chain, capitalizing on market fluctuations to expand production and exports.
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