Seychelles marks World Tuna Day |02 May 2023

World Tuna Day celebrates the important role of tuna in the oceans and global economy

·          Pursues tuna monitoring efforts

Today, May 2, Seychelles joins the rest of the world to mark World Tuna Day. Established by the United Nations General Assembly, the day celebrates the important role of tuna in the oceans and global economy. Tuna is one of the most popular fish in the world and consumed by millions of people. The day is also to raise awareness about overfishing and the need to safeguard the species for the future.

Tuna is one dominant species in the world fish market due to their nutritional and commercial value. Globally, there are 7 commercially exploited tuna species – Atlantic Bluefin tuna (Thunnus Thynnus), Pacific Bluefin tuna (Thunnus Orientalis), Southern Bluefin tuna (Thunnus Maccoyii), Bigeye tuna (Thunnus Obesus), Albacore tuna (Thunnus Alalunga), Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus Albacares), and Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) (Majkowski, 2007). 

Unfortunately, there are growing concerns on the sustainability of tuna species and population decline are generally driven by unsustainable fishing practices such as overfishing and illegal fishing along with the effects of climate change.

Tuna monitoring efforts are undertaken by the Seychelles Fishing Authority (SFA) in collaboration with the Institute of Research for Development (IRD). The main objective of this monitoring is to collect length and weight measurements, analyse stomach contents and maturity stages of the three major commercial tuna species; Skipjack (Katsuwonuc Pelamis), Bigeye (Thunnus Obesus) and Yellowfin (Thunnus Albacares) in Seychelles.

As a result, this study provides knowledge on the reproductivity, growth and mortality patterns of tropical tunas. Thus, determines the sustainability of their population in response to exploitation. Such information is crucial to the development of stock assessments and fisheries management.

Contributed/Compiled by Patsy Canaya