Securing a Catch Limit of 1,291 Tons for Bluefin Tuna

- Decision by the 21st Annual Meeting of WCPFC to increase the catch limit of bluefin tuna in coastal waters of Korea by 63% in 2025-2026

 The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries (MOF, Minister Kang Do-hyung) announced that the 21st Annual Meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) held in Suva, Fiji from Wednesday, November 27 to Tuesday, December 3 decided to increase Korea's annual bluefin tuna catch limit for 2025-2026 by 471 tons (63%) from the previous 748 tons to 1,219 tons.

 Tuna is a highly migratory fish species that moves in the open sea and coastal waters, making it an aquatic resource that requires international management. Therefore, even if the resources are within the EEZ, they are subject to strict national catch limits set by WCPFC.

 WCPFC sets catch limits based on the historical catch volumes of member countries. Given the low historical catch volume of Korea, its delegation carried out aggressive lobbying during this year's annual meeting and achieved significant success by securing a substantial 1,570% increase in the catch limit for large bluefin tuna (over 30kg) from a mere 30 tons to 501 tons.

 The increased quota through this negotiation is expected to be good news for Korean fishermen as well as the tuna distribution and processing industry. The catch limit of 1,219 tons of bluefin tuna in Korea is equivalent to the amount of tuna sashimi—which the Korean people like—for 600,000 people. When processed into food, it is expected to increase fishermen's income by more than 50 billion won. Such expansion of the tuna quota is expected to have a positive impact on the national economy as exports of tuna—the second largest seafood export item for Korea—are expected to increase.

 Moreover, after about four years of discussions, the revised whale protection measures jointly proposed by Korea and the United States and new measures regarding seafarers' labor standards were adopted unanimously by member countries at the annual meeting.

 “The decision to increase the bluefin tuna catch limit is the result of joint efforts by the government and fishermen, both domestically and internationally. The government will continue to strive to grow the seafood export industry, strengthen the position of Korean seafood products in the global market, and ensure the sustainable development of the fishing industry,” Minister of Oceans and Fisheries Kang Do-hyung said.