The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) finished a week-long meeting in Guam agreeing on a temporary step that weakens existing protections in areas of international waters -- the Pacific Commons -- and will not help stop the decline of bigeye tuna, Greenpeace explains.
Taiwan voted against the initiative, which was mainly pushed through by South Korea and the US, but Taiwan’s unwillingness to develop with a rescue plan demonstrated its weakness on the issue, Greenpeace says, CNA reports.
“As the member owning the most fishing vessels in the area, Taiwan’s Fisheries Agency should take a leading role to actively guide the commission toward applying sustainable methods, instead of passively waiting for the decisions,” Greenpeace East Asia senior ocean campaigner Kao Yu-fen said.
Most of New Zealand’s canned tuna comes from the Pacific Ocean and all Pacific tuna stocks are in decline, especially bigeye and yellowfin. Scientists have advised that fishing needs to be cut by half to allow bigeye tuna to recover. Skipjack tuna, the most common species used in canned products, is also under threat.
According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), more and more bigeye tuna are being fished with no adequate action in place to reverse the decline. Precautionary conservation measures to protect yellowfin stocks, which are under increasing pressure, were also dismissed.
“This meeting unraveled protection for the region’s tuna populations. This is a disappointing step backward. The Pacific region relies on tuna for food, jobs and economic prosperity and the commission’s decisions go against the wants and needs of the region’s people, the world’s consumers, and forward-thinking businesses,” said Karli Thomas, Greenpeace New Zealand oceans campaigner.
WCPFC did not agree on extending closures of the Pacific Commons, increasing bans on a destructive fishing practice that combines Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) and purse seine nets and a cut in longline fishing.
The highlighted areas 1, 2 and 3 and 4 are the high seas pockets. Pockets 1 and 2 are closed to purse seine fishing from 2010 as per WCPFC decision in December 2008. (Map: Greenpeace)
WWF strongly urges WCPFC Member States to move to support the implementation of the precautionary approach to fisheries management: Adopt harvest control rules and reference points in line with international best practice for tuna stocks; Strengthen regulations on bycatch species impacted by tuna fishing; Reduce fishing capacity in line with long-term sustainable yields.
Despite this outcome, Thomas said there was an increasing global demand for responsibly sourced tuna. Last week, Greenpeace released its report ‘Changing Tuna,’ outlining progress taken by tuna companies around the globe to save Pacific tuna; it highlights NZ retailer Foodstuffs, which has changed most of its Pams range to sustainably caught tuna.
Last week, US retail giant Safeway joined other retailers by pledging not to source tuna from the Pacific Commons for its private brand canned tuna.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Although Germany’s tuna imports have declined, Vietnam’s tuna exports to the market continue to show positive signs. Notably, export value recovered strongly in Q3/2026, and German import data also show Vietnamese products strengthening their position amid competition among suppliers.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Seafood exports are holding double-digit growth, but the opportunities are not spread evenly across product groups and markets. As businesses draw up their plans for 2027, Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS2026) offers a chance to look ahead together: what to sell, where to sell it, and how to prepare for growth in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) With less than two weeks to go, the Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026) will officially take place in Can Tho. Under the theme “Seafood Market Outlook 2027–2029 – Opportunities and Potential for Double-Digit Export Growth,” the Summit is organized by VASEP at a time when seafood businesses are facing rapid market shifts, changing buyer demand, trade policy changes and growing competitive pressure all at once.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On October 28, 2026, the China Fisheries & Seafood Expo opened in Qingdao, China. The expo takes place over three days from October 28 to 30, 2026. This is a prestigious specialized seafood exhibition organized annually by Sea Fare Exposition Inc.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first nine months of 2026, Vietnam’s tilapia exports to the CPTPP bloc reached $7 million, marking a 51% year-on-year increase. The bloc rstands as the fourth-largest market for Vietnamese tilapia, trailing Brazil, the US, and Saudi Arabia.
(vasep.com.vn) VASEP has officially announced the program for Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026 (VSS 2026), featuring five in-depth sessions covering industry outlooks, trade barriers, buyer demand, the domestic market, and solutions to improve productivity and reduce costs across the seafood value chain.
(vasep.com.vn) Vietnam’s shrimp exports reached US$3.7 billion in the first nine months of 2026, up 11% year on year. Although growth has been supported by China and several markets within the CPTPP, momentum is slowing as exports to the United States and the European Union decline. Tariff pressures, international competition, and raw material challenges are creating significant hurdles for exporters in the final months of the year.
(vasep.com.vn) Markets are changing faster, buyer requirements are becoming more demanding, and trade barriers are growing increasingly complex. In this environment, seafood businesses need more than an understanding of current market conditions. They need a longer-term perspective to answer a critical question: Where will growth opportunities come from in 2027–2029, and what should businesses do now to prepare? This is one of the key reasons why VASEP is organizing Vietnam Seafood Summit 2026.
(vasep.com.vn) In the first eight months of 2026, Vietnam’s pangasius exports to the Middle East reached US$113 million, up 7% year on year from the same period in 2025. Growth has become more pronounced in recent months. In August alone, exports to the region totaled US$20 million, an increase of 24%. This indicates that demand for Vietnamese pangasius in the Middle East is gradually recovering after a slowdown in March, although the pace of recovery varies across markets.
(vasep.com.vn) China’s shrimp imports continued to grow strongly in 2026, while Vietnam’s shrimp exports to the market also recorded notable growth. However, behind these positive figures lie two distinct trends: Chinese consumption is growing more slowly than imports, and lobster accounts for a substantial share of Vietnam’s shrimp exports to China, making its product mix significantly different from those of Ecuador and India. Exporters therefore need to assess each segment carefully to understand the opportunities and risks.
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