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) The year 2025 marked a pivotal milestone for Vietnam’s seafood industry in its restructuring process toward sustainability, transparency, and higher value creation, amid continued uncertainties in the global economic and trade environment. Prolonged inflation in major economies, the rising trend of trade protectionism, and increasingly stringent requirements related to environmental standards, traceability, and social responsibility have posed significant challenges to seafood production and exports. Nevertheless, overcoming these pressures, Vietnam’s seafood sector has gradually demonstrated its adaptability, maintained growth momentum, and laid an important foundation for the next stage of development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Amid the increasingly evident impacts of drought and saltwater intrusion, the shrimp-rice production model in Ca Mau province continues to prove itself as a viable direction, contributing to higher farmer incomes, improved soil conditions and the promotion of ecological and sustainable agricultural development.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) The management of fishing vessels, monitoring of fishing activities, and handling of violations in the fisheries sector in Lam Dong province have continued to be implemented in a synchronized and stringent manner, contributing to raising awareness of legal compliance among fishermen and aiming to end illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Can Tho’s fishery industry sustained steady growth in 2025 with total aquatic and marine output reaching nearly 783,000 tons, fulfilling 100% of the annual target. Aquaculture, capture fisheries and fishing fleet management were further strengthened, aiming for sustainable development in the coming years.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s pangasius export turnover reached nearly USD 2.2 billion, up 8% year-on-year. This result indicates that pangasius exports maintained their growth momentum despite significant volatility in the global market environment. In December 2025, pangasius export value reached USD 200 million, up 10% compared to December 2024. This solid performance in the final month of the year reflects increased import demand for consumption and inventory replenishment in key markets.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) In 2025, Vietnam’s tuna exports to Spain experienced significant fluctuations. According to Vietnam Customs, during the first 11 months of 2025, export turnover for the first 11 months of the year edged up by 0.3% year-on-year, reaching nearly $15 million.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son has signed Decision No. 16/QD-TTg, dated January 5, 2026, approving the implementation plan for the Vietnam-Israel Free Trade Agreement (VIFTA). Under the plan, in the coming period, ministries, ministerial-level agencies, government-affiliated entities and People’s Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities must institutionalize and execute tasks focused on the dissemination of information regarding VIFTA and the Israeli market; legislative and institutional development, as well as enhancing competitiveness and human resource growth...
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Beyond achieving double-digit growth, Vietnam’s fish cake and surimi exports are showing a notable year-end "inflection point": the EU his accelerating with nearly twofold growth, China & Hong Kong are rising sharply, while the largest market, South Korea, signaled a slowdown in November. According to Vietnam Customs data, export turnover of fish cake and surimi reached $327 million in the first 11 months of 2025, up 22% year-on-year; November 2025 alone accounted for $35 million, marking a 5% increase. This serves as a critical foundation for exporters to reassess market structures and competitive intensity while finalizing order strategies for 2026.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) Ca Mau, widely regarded as the nation’s “shrimp capital”, continued its strong performance in 2025 as shrimp output reached nearly 600,000 tons, maintaining its position as Vietnam’s leading shrimp-producing locality.
(seafood.vasep.com.vn) On December 29, 2025, at the 2025 Pangasius Industry Review Conference held in Can Tho City, the Vietnam Pangasius Association announced that fingerling prices have surged to record levels due to acute supply shortages.
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