ISSN 0377-452X REPORT OF THE FOURTEENTH MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON TUNA AND BILLFISH Draft 9–16 August 2001 Noumea New Caledonia January 2002 ii Secretariat of the Pacific Community Cataloguing-in-publication data Meeting of the Standing Committee on Tuna and Billfish (14th : 2001 : Noumea) Report (Report of Meeting (Technical) / Secretariat of the Pacific Community) 1. Tuna – Oceania – Congresses 2. Billfishes – Oceania – Congresses I. Title II. Secretariat of the Pacific Community III. Series 639.27783 AACR2 ISSN 0377-452X ISBN 982-203-759-7 Prepared for publication and printed by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community Noumea, New Caledonia iii TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................................................... 1 SUMMARY OF DISCUSSIONS.................................................................................................................... 11 1. PRELIMINARIES.............................................................................................................................. 11 1.1 Opening Ceremony........................................................................................................... 11 1.2 Confirmation of Chairman and Appointment of Rapporteurs.......................................... 11 1.3 Adoption of the Agenda.................................................................................................... 12 1.4 Adoption of the Report of the Thirteenth Meeting of the SCTB ..................................... 12 2. OVERVIEW OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL PACIFIC OCEAN TUNA FISHERIES ................ 12 2.1 Regional Overview ........................................................................................................... 12 2.2 National Tuna Fishery Reports......................................................................................... 14 2.3 Economic Condition of the Fishery.................................................................................. 23 3. REPORTS BY ORGANISATIONS................................................................................................... 24 4. STATISTICS WORKING GROUP (SWG)....................................................................................... 28 4.1 Co-ordinator’s Report on Data Collection, Compilation and Dissemination................... 28 4.2 Review of SCTB13 Directives to the Statistics Working Group ..................................... 29 4.3 SCTB14 Directives to the Statistics Working Group....................................................... 45 5. FISHING TECHNOLOGY WORKING GROUP (FTWG)............................................................... 45 5.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 45 5.2 Compatible programs and recent initiatives relevant to the FTWG................................. 46 5.3 Technical data holdings, database status and accessibility. ............................................. 47 5.4 Country Reports................................................................................................................ 48 5.5 Recent developments and entrants to the WCPO purse seine fishery.............................. 49 5.6 General discussion topics ................................................................................................. 49 5.7 Research co-ordination and planning ............................................................................... 50 6. METHODS WORKING GROUP (MWG) ........................................................................................ 53 6.1 Review of the terms of reference...................................................................................... 53 6.2 OFP operational model..................................................................................................... 55 6.3 Recent developments to MFCL........................................................................................ 56 6.4. Workplan for future activities........................................................................................... 56 7. SKIPJACK RESEARCH GROUP (SRG).......................................................................................... 57 7.1 Regional fishery developments......................................................................................... 57 7.2 Biological and ecological research................................................................................... 57 7.3 Stock assessment .............................................................................................................. 58 7.4 Research co-ordination and planning ............................................................................... 59 7.5 Summary statement........................................................................................................... 61 8. BIGEYE RESEARCH GROUP (BRG) ............................................................................................. 61 8.1 Regional fishery developments......................................................................................... 61 8.2 Biological and ecological research................................................................................... 63 8.3 Stock assessment .............................................................................................................. 65 8.4 Research co-ordination and planning ............................................................................... 69 8.5 Summary statement........................................................................................................... 69 9. YELLOWFIN RESEARCH GROUP (YRG)..................................................................................... 71 9.1 Regional fishery developments......................................................................................... 71 iv 9.2 Biological and ecological research................................................................................... 72 9.3 Stock assessment .............................................................................................................. 75 9.4 Research co-ordination and planning ............................................................................... 77 9.5 Summary statement........................................................................................................... 78 10. ALBACORE RESEARCH GROUP (ARG) ...................................................................................... 79 10.1 Overview of Fishery and Review of Inter-sessional Work............................................... 79 10.2 Regional fishery developments......................................................................................... 81 10.3 Biological and ecological research................................................................................... 82 10.4 Stock assessment .............................................................................................................. 82 10.5 Research co-ordination and planning ............................................................................... 83 10.6 Summary statement...........................................................................................................84 11. BILLFISH AND BYCATCH RESEARCH GROUP (BBRG) .......................................................... 85 11.1 Review of progress on the SCTB 13 task list................................................................... 85 11.2 Shark bycatch in WCPO pelagic fisheries........................................................................ 85 11.3 Pacific Blue Shark stock assessment ................................................................................ 88 11.4 Turtle Bycatch in WCPO Pelagic Fisheries ..................................................................... 89 11.5 Effects of Litigation on US Fisheries in the Western Pacific........................................... 90 11.6 Longline-Turtle Interactions in the Australian Longline Fishery..................................... 91 11.7 Other Bycatch Issues in WCPO Pelagic Fisheries ........................................................... 92 11.8 Recommendations.............................................................................................................93 12. DISCUSSION ON PREPCON ISSUES............................................................................................. 96 13. OTHER BUSINESS ........................................................................................................................... 96 13.1 Consideration of summary statements from the Species Research Groups ............................... 96 14. CLOSE .......................................................................................................................................... 97 TABLES OF ANNUAL CATCH ESTIMATES............................................................................................. 98 APPENDIX 1. AGENDA ............................................................................................................................ 108 APPENDIX 2. LIST OF WORKING PAPERS........................................................................................... 110 APPENDIX 3. LIST OF PARTICIPANTS.................................................................................................. 115 APPENDIX 4. OPENING ADDRESS BY THE DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE