Tunas, Billfishes and Other Pelagic Species in the Eastern Pacific Ocean in 2016
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TUNAS, BILLFISHES AND OTHER PELAGIC SPECIES IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN IN 2016 A. The fishery for tunas and billfishes in the eastern Pacific Ocean ....................................................... 3 B. Yellowfin tuna ................................................................................................................................... 65 C. Skipjack tuna ..................................................................................................................................... 76 D. Bigeye tuna........................................................................................................................................ 79 E. Pacific bluefin tuna ........................................................................................................................... 90 F. Albacore tuna .................................................................................................................................... 97 G. Swordfish ........................................................................................................................................ 106 H. Blue marlin ...................................................................................................................................... 110 I. Striped marlin .................................................................................................................................. 112 J. Sailfish ............................................................................................................................................ 116 K. Updated stock status indicators for silky sharks in the eastern Pacific Ocean (1994-2016) ........... 121 L. Ecosystem considerations ............................................................................................................... 124 INTRODUCTION This report provides a summary of the fishery for tunas in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO), summary assessments of the major stocks of tunas and billfishes that are exploited in the fishery, updated stock status indicators for silky sharks, and an evaluation of the pelagic ecosystem in the EPO, in 2016. The report is based on data available to the IATTC staff in March 2017. As a result, some of the data tables for 2016 are incomplete, and all data for 2015 and 2016 should be considered preliminary. All weights of catches and discards are in metric tons (t). In the tables, 0 means no effort, or a catch of less than 0.5 t; - means no data collected; * means data missing or not available. The following acronyms are used: Species: TUN Unidentified tunas ALB Albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga) YFT Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) BET Bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) Fishing gears: BIL Unidentified istiophorid billfishes FPN Trap BKJ Black skipjack (Euthynnus lineatus) GN Gillnet BLM Black marlin (Makaira indica) HAR Harpoon BUM Blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) LL Longline BZX Bonito (Sarda spp.) LP Pole and line CAR Chondrichthyes, cartilaginous fishes nei1 LTL Troll CGX Carangids (Carangidae) LX Hook and line DOX Dorado (Coryphaena spp.) OTR Other2 MLS Striped marlin (Kajikia audax) NK Unknown MZZ Osteichthyes, marine fishes nei PS Purse seine PBF Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) RG Recreational SFA Indo-Pacific sailfish (Istiophorus TX Trawl platypterus) Ocean areas: SKJ Skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) EPO Eastern Pacific Ocean SKX Unidentified elasmobranchs WCPO Western and Central Pacific SSP Shortbill spearfish (Tetrapturus Ocean angustirostris) Set types: SWO Swordfish (Xiphias gladius) DEL Dolphin 1 not elsewhere included 2 Used to group known gear types NOA Unassociated school S Index of spawning biomass OBJ Floating object SBR Spawning biomass ratio LOG: Flotsam SSB Spawning stock biomass FAD: Fish-aggregating device Flags: IATTC Members & cooperating non-Members BLZ Belize BOL Bolivia CAN Canada CHN China COL Colombia CRI Costa Rica ECU Ecuador EU European Union EU (CYP) Cyprus EU (ESP) Spain EU (PRT) Portugal FRA France GTM Guatemala HND Honduras IDN Indonesia JPN Japan KIR Kiribati KOR Republic of Korea LBR Liberia MEX Mexico NIC Nicaragua PAN Panama PER Peru SLV El Salvador TWN Chinese Taipei USA United States of America VEN Venezuela VUT Vanuatu Other flags CHL Chile COK Cook Islands CYM Cayman Islands NZL New Zealand RUS Russia VCT St. Vincent and the Grenadines UNK Unknown Stock assessment: B Biomass C Catch CPUE Catch per unit of effort F Rate of fishing mortality MSY Maximum sustainable yield A. THE FISHERY FOR TUNAS AND BILLFISHES IN THE EASTERN PACIFIC OCEAN 1. Catches and landings of tunas, billfishes, and associated species ....................................................... 3 1.1. Catches by species ............................................................................................................................... 4 1.2. Distributions of the catches of tunas ................................................................................................... 7 1.3. Size compositions of the catches of tunas ........................................................................................... 7 1.4. Catches of tunas and bonitos, by flag and gear ................................................................................... 9 2. Fishing effort ..................................................................................................................................... 10 2.1. Purse seine ......................................................................................................................................... 10 2.2. Longline ............................................................................................................................................ 10 3. The fleets ........................................................................................................................................... 10 3.1. Purse-seine and pole-and-line fleets .................................................................................................. 10 3.2. Other fleets of the EPO ..................................................................................................................... 12 This document summarizes the fisheries for species covered by the IATTC Convention (tunas and other fishes caught by tuna-fishing vessels) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The most important of these are the scombrids (Family Scombridae), which include tunas, bonitos, seerfishes, and mackerels. The principal species of tunas caught are yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, and albacore, with lesser catches of Pacific bluefin, black skipjack, and frigate and bullet tunas; other scombrids, such as bonitos and wahoo, are also caught. This document also covers other species caught by tuna-fishing vessels in the EPO: billfishes (swordfish, marlins, shortbill spearfish, and sailfish) carangids (yellowtail, rainbow runner, and jack mackerel), dorado, elasmobranchs (sharks, rays, and skates), and other fishes. Most of the catches are made by the purse-seine and longline fleets; the pole-and-line fleet and various artisanal and recreational fisheries account for a small percentage of the total catches. Detailed data are available for the purse-seine and pole-and-line fisheries; the data for the longline, artisanal, and recreational fisheries are incomplete. The IATTC Regional Vessel Register contains details of vessels authorized to fish for tunas in the EPO. The IATTC has detailed records of most of the purse-seine and pole-and-line vessels that fish for yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, and/or Pacific bluefin tuna in the EPO. The Register is incomplete for small vessels. It contains records for most large (overall length >24 m) longline vessels that fish in the EPO and in other areas. The data in this report are derived from various sources, including vessel logbooks, observer data, unloading records provided by canners and other processors, export and import records, reports from governments and other entities, and estimates derived from the species and size composition sampling program. 1. CATCHES AND LANDINGS OF TUNAS, BILLFISHES, AND ASSOCIATED SPECIES Estimating the total catch of a species of fish is difficult, for various reasons. Some fish are discarded at sea, and the data for some gear types are incomplete. Data for fish discarded at sea by purse-seine vessels with carrying capacities greater than 363 metric tons (t) have been collected by observers since 1993, which allows for better estimation of the total amounts of fish caught by the purse-seine fleet. Estimates of the total amount of the catch that is landed (hereafter referred to as the retained catch) are based principally on data from unloadings. Beginning with Fishery Status Report 3, which reports on the fishery in 2004, the unloading data for purse-seine and pole-and-line vessels have been adjusted, based on the species composition estimates for yellowfin, skipjack, and bigeye tunas. The current species composition sampling program, described in Section 1.3.1, began in 2000, so the catch data for 2000-2016 are adjusted, based on estimates by flag for each year. The catch data for the previous years were adjusted by applying the average ratio by species from the 2000-2004 estimates, by flag, and summing over all flags. This has tended to increase the estimated catches of bigeye and decrease those of yellowfin and/or skipjack. These adjustments are all preliminary, and may be improved in the future. All of the purse-seine and pole-and-line data for 3 are all preliminary, and