Stock Status and Conservation Information
(From ISC19 Plenary Report)

Pacific Bluefin Tuna

The stock status and conservation information adopted by the ISC18 Plenary was endorsed and is reproduced below.

Click here to see the ISC18 stock status and conservation information.

Stock Status

1. No biomass-based limit or target reference points have been adopted to evaluate the overfished status for PBF. However, the PBF stock is overfished relative to the potential biomass-based reference points evaluated (SSB_MED and 20%SSB_F=0, Table 3 and Figure 4 of ISC18 Report).
2. No fishing intensity-based limit or target reference points have been adopted to evaluate overfishing for PBF. However, the PBF stock is subject to overfishing relative to most potential fishing intensity-based reference points evaluated (Table 3 and Figure 4 of ISC18 Report).

Conservation Information

After the steady decline in SSB from 1995 to the historical low level in 2010, the PBF stock appears to have started recovering slowly. The 2016 stock biomass is below the two biomass rebuilding targets adopted by the WCPFC while the 2015-16 fishing intensity (spawning potential ratio) is at a level corresponding to the initial rebuilding target.

The 2018 base case assessment results are consistent with the 2016 model results. However, the 2018 projection results are more optimistic than the 2016 projections, mainly due to the inclusion of the relatively good recruitment in 2016, which is above the historical average level (119%) and twice as high as the median of the low recruitment scenario (which occurred 1980-1989).

Based on these results, the following conservation information is provided:

1. The projection based on the base-case model mimicking the current management measures by the WCPFC (CMM 2017-08) and IATTC (C-16-08) under the low recruitment scenario resulted in an estimated 98% probability of achieving the initial biomass rebuilding target (6.7%SSB_F=0) by 2024. This estimated probability is above the threshold (75% or above in 2024) prescribed by the WCPFC Harvest Strategy (Harvest Strategy 2017-02) (scenario 0 of Table 4 to Table 6; see also Figure 5 and Figure 6 of the ISC18 Report). The low recruitment scenario is more precautionary than the recent 10 years recruitment scenario;
2. The Harvest Strategy specifies that recruitment switches from the low recruitment scenario to the average recruitment scenario beginning in the year after achieving the initial rebuilding target. The estimated probability of achieving the second biomass rebuilding target (20%SSB_F=0) 10 years after the achievement of the initial rebuilding target or by 2034, whichever is earlier, is 96% (scenario 1 of Tables Table 3, Table 4, and Table 5; Figure 5 and Figure 6 of the ISC18 Report). This estimate is above the threshold (60% or above in 2034) prescribed by the WCPFC Harvest Strategy. However, it should be recognized that these projection results are strongly influenced by the inclusion of the relatively high, but uncertain recruitment estimate for 2016.