An analysis of fishing capacity in the western and central Pacific Ocean tuna fishery and management implications

Recent increases in the volume of canning grade tuna caught in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) have led to concern about the increasing catching capacity of the fleet of purse seine vessels operating in the fishery. In this paper, data envelopment analysis is used to examine the current technical efficiency of the WCPO purse seine fleet, the potential catching capacity of the fleet and the excess capacity currently present in the fishery. These estimates are then used to examine possible implications of a move to a management regime based on limiting the total number of fishing days in the fishery.