Fisheries and research for tunas and tuna like species in the Western Central Atlantic FAO Fisheries technical paper Series, Vol. 357

In the Western Central Atlantic Fishery Commission (WECAFC) area, large pelagics contribute only about 6 percent of total landings, but are nonetheless significant for many countries. Large pelagic fishes are caught in all WECAFC states and within the WECAFC region by several distant-water fishing nations. However only 19 out of 40 WECAFC states report catches to FAO. The fisheries range in scale and technological sophistication from artisanal fishers trolling from canoes to modern commercial longliners and purse seiners (mostly from distant-water fishing nations). The available information on development of small- and large-scale fleets targeting large pelagics indicates a significant trend of increasing fishing capacity in the countries of the WECAFC region. Several species which are not assessed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) are of considerable importance in large pelagic fisheries in the WECAFC region. Overall, about half the landings of large pelagics in the WECAFC region are from species which are assessed. Existing institutional mechanisms are not adequate for the management of shared or straddling fish stocks and those of highly migratory fish, as per the recent United Nations agreement. Any such institution must have linkages with extraregional organizations, primarily ICCAT, and, in order to maximize efficiency and avoid duplication, should also be able to deal with shared, straddling and migratory fish stocks other than pelagics, for example, lobster and reef fishes with planktonic early life history stages. WECAFC, with modifications to its statutes, appears to be the most feasible existing organization to adopt such a role.