By Pita Ligaiula in Manila, Philippines
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is heading into a critical year as deep-sea mining pressures intensify, a new global ocean treaty comes into force, and international conferences call for tougher action to protect tuna stocks and the wider marine environment.
In its Twenty-Second Regular Session Annual Report, the Commission outlined major developments that will shape fisheries management across the region in 2026 from the Pacific’s first deep-sea mining plans to new obligations under the high-seas biodiversity treaty.
WCPFC members agreed in 2024 to seek observer status at the International Seabed Authority (ISA) amid growing concern about potential mining impacts on tuna fisheries.
The Commission confirmed that status was approved this year.
“At 20th Regular Session of the Scientific Committee(SC20),Commission Members and Cooperating Non-Members(CCMs) considered scientific research relating to the potential impacts of deep sea mining activities on pelagic fisheries and recommended that the Commission task the Secretariat to engage with a range of stakeholders to gather more information,” the report said.
The Commission said the ISA has not yet issued any commercial mining licences, but exploratory work is underway in the Clarion Clipperton Zone, an area that overlaps both the WCPFC and Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) Convention Areas.
A regional environmental management plan is also being developed for a section of the North Pacific that overlaps WCPFC waters.
The Commission said the new BBNJ Agreement — the global treaty governing marine biodiversity beyond national jurisdictions reached the required 60 ratifications on 20 September 2025, triggering its entry into force in early January 2026.
The report said the Agreement creates a comprehensive global framework, “guided by precautionary and ecosystem approaches, equity, science and traditional knowledge, transparency, and international cooperation.”
Crucially, the treaty anticipates new cooperative arrangements with international fisheries bodies, including the WCPFC.
“The latter point about institutional mechanisms for coordinated action is particularly relevant for WCPFC,” the report
said, noting that implementation will require members to strengthen national coordination so “BBNJ and WCPFC activities are complementary and mutually reinforcing.”
Two preparatory conferences were held in April and August as countries began shaping how the treaty will operate once it enters into force.
The Commission highlighted three major ocean conferences in 2025 — one of them dedicated specifically to Pacific tuna fisheries that reinforced calls for stronger regional action.
The Honiara Summit in February, co-hosted by Solomon Islands and the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), focused on “meaningful action and innovation” to achieve SDG14 and protect Pacific tuna resources.
The 10th Our Ocean Conference (OOC10) followed in April in Busan, with the theme “Our Ocean, Our Action.”
Organisers promoted digital technology as a key tool for sustainability. According to the report, since 2014 the conference has mobilised “over 2,900 commitments worth approximately USD$169 billion.”
The year concluded with the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, co-hosted by France and Costa Rica. The conference pushed governments to raise ambition on ocean protection, scale up SDG14 financing, and strengthen marine science for decision-making.
The report makes clear that the WCPFC enters 2026 at a critical juncture facing new global rules, industrial pressures from the seabed, and growing expectations from the international community.
How the Commission navigates these competing political and environmental pressures will determine whether Pacific tuna fisheries remain sustainable in the decades ahead.
