Managing tuna fisheries: a new strategy for the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

The paper describes a bioeconomic model of the western and central Pacific tuna fisheries in which three main gear types exploit four main tuna species following migratory paths through the Exclusive Economic Zones of 12 Pacific Island nations. The results of the model suggest that the net value of the fisheries can be increased substantially by reducing the overall amount of fishing effort and altering the balance of effort towards gear types which exploit older age classes of fish.