By Pita Ligaiula in Manila, Philippines
The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has delivered a blunt message to next week’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC22) in Manila saying without credible, on-the-water monitoring, the region cannot safeguard tuna stocks, protect threatened species, or build the transparent supply chains global markets now demand.
In its statement to the Commission, TNC said “the lack of sufficient on-the-water monitoring is one of the biggest obstacles to the sustainable management of global tuna and ecosystem resources, protecting and conserving associated marine species, particularly those species of concern, and building transparent and verifiable supply chains that inspire consumer confidence.”
TNC said it wants WCPFC22 to make concrete progress on monitoring reforms, including allowing the use of electronic monitoring (EM) data for compliance and lifting monitoring coverage on longline vessels.
The group highlighted its Tuna Transparency Pledge (TTP), launched last year, which has already attracted country signatories representing more than 15 percent of global tuna catch, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea, Palau and Panama.
Major retailers and processors such as Walmart, Carrefour, Thai Union and Aramark have also signed on.
TNC said the pledge aims to “accelerate the adoption of on-the-water monitoring and aim to achieve 100 percent monitoring on industrial tuna vessels by 2027.”
Beyond advocacy, TNC reported extensive technical work with Pacific Island fisheries authorities and regional partners, including FFA and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA), to design and expand EM programmes across longline, purse seine and transshipment fleets.
TNC told the Commission it wants five major outcomes in Manila:
*Progress on allowing EM data for monitoring and verifying fishing activity.
*Increased longline monitoring to 20 percent, with a future commitment to 100 percent.
*Stronger seabird conservation measures.
*Stronger FAD management, including biodegradable FADs, improved tracking and recovery.
*A strengthened transshipment measure.
The organisation also flagged recent partnerships, including a US$2 million award from the Bezos Earth Fund to scale up edge-AI tools for rapid EM footage analysis.
TNC said it will be active on the ground at WCPFC22 and is “very interested in working with all stakeholders to support the collective effort in achieving sustainable fisheries management.”
It added that real progress on monitoring and transparency is essential for the long-term health of the region’s tuna fisheries and the communities that depend on them.
