Fiji, Dec. 2 -- New analysis from the Pacific Community (SPC) shows the South Pacific albacore fishery is under growing pressure, with industry performance weakening and fishing effort rising, highlighted the need for WCPFC22 to adopt a long-delayed management procedure.

The SPC evaluation, presented to the Tuna Commission Monday, shows albacore catch rates, profitability and fleet performance continue to trend downward, while effort and operational costs continue to climb.

The indicators paint a clear picture that without a Commission-adopted harvest strategy, the albacore fishery is drifting into deeper uncertainty.

SPC scientists noted that longline fleets have faced persistent declines in catch-per-unit-effort across several EEZs, ...