Yellowfin Tuna

• Commonwealth Eastern Tuna and Billfish Fishery (2,557t in 2024)

Yellowfin tuna is a highly migratory species, fished throughout its range in the tropical regions of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

The Australian catch of yellowfin tuna is less than 1% of the total catch in the Western Pacific region, with the vast majority of the catch coming from other countries fishing on the high seas.

Yellowfin tuna are caught in two fisheries in Australia that mainly target tuna. Two different stocks are caught in Australian fisheries; the southwest Pacific Ocean stock is caught in the ETBF fishery and the Indian Ocean stock is caught in the WBTF. The ETBF catches the vast majority of the catch.

Recent information suggests that there may be multiple populations of yellowfin tuna across the east coast area fished by the Australian fishery. Though this is currently not considered in the management of the fishery, there is a good degree of confidence that populations are healthy.

Yellowfin tuna are caught using longlines in Australian waters, which also catch a range of threatened species. Turtles, whales, dolphins and seabirds are at risk from multiple threats, including fishing. It is imperative that cumulative impacts are considered, and that fisheries are precautionary when reacting to threatened species interactions.

Independent video monitoring across the fishing fleet was rolled out in 2015. This best practice management measure provides confidence in reporting of wildlife affected by the fishery. However, video monitoring identified significant under-reporting of deaths of endangered wildlife in the past.

Thanks to the now reliable bycatch data, managers have been able to identify several species at high risk from this fishery including turtles, albatrosses and marine mammals.

However, even after 10 years of reliable data, there has been no effective effort from industry or managers to protect most bycatch species.

Of particular concern, this fishery has reported bycatch of between 13-35 critically endangered leatherback turtles per year since 2020. There are only around 1400 mature nesters thought to be left in the population impacted by the fishery, and it is declining at around 6% annually.

In comparison, a US-managed longline fishery that impacts the same leatherback turtle population closes when yearly bycatch reaches 16 leatherbacks.

This fishery has been aware of these turtles being caught for several years and has made no significant changes to their operation.

In contrast, better protection arrangements and obligations on the fishery to protect seabirds have resulted in additional management that should effectively reduce the impact of the fishery.

Marine sanctuaries, areas where fishing is not allowed, provide valuable protection to species, allowing for greater confidence in surrounding fisheries.

The Australian tuna fishing industry has extensively lobbied for the removal of marine sanctuary protection in areas where they want to fish. They have been successful on multiple occasions.

Marine sanctuaries are a fundamental part of healthy oceans, and their targeted reduction is not in the best interest of the ocean or the industry. This continued effort to undermine marine sanctuaries is a disappointing lack of environmental stewardship.