International Fisheries; Pacific Tuna Fisheries; Conservation and Management Measures for Tropical Tunas in the Eastern Pacific Ocean for 2026 and Beyond
Key claim: NMFS finalizes regulations implementing IATTC resolutions from September 2025 to manage tropical tuna (bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack) fishing in the eastern Pacific Ocean and address sea turtle bycatch mitigation.
Abstract
(Rule · Commerce Department, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) NMFS is issuing regulations under the Tuna Conventions Act (TCA) of 1950, as amended, to implement resolutions adopted at the 103rd Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in September 2025. The final rule also implements several provisions of Resolution C-19-04 (Resolution to Mitigate Impacts on Sea Turtles) that were not previously implemented and makes technical corrections to regulations for fishing under the Agreement on the International Dolphin Conservation Program (AIDCP). The management measures in this rule apply to fishing vessels targeting tropical tuna (i.e., bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus), yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), and skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis)) in the eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). This rule is necessary for the conservation and management of tropical tuna stocks in the EPO and for the United States to satisfy its obligations as a member of the IATTC.
Why this matters
The rule translates IATTC’s September 2025 international resolutions into binding U.S. regulations for tropical tuna harvest in the Eastern Pacific, affecting U.S. purse seine and longline operators through catch limits, closure periods, and sea turtle bycatch mitigation requirements. It illustrates how domestic fisheries management is layered atop multilateral commission decisions, with practical compliance costs falling on the U.S. fleet even as conservation objectives are set internationally.