Projecting U.S. Western and Central Pacific Longline Bigeye Tuna Annual Catch

The Western and Central Pacific longline fishery is subject to a catch limit for U.S. permitted vessels, which is administered by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). In 2023, the bigeye tuna (BET) limit for the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Convention Area was 3,554 metric tons (t) and applies to all pelagic longline vessels with Hawaii permits fishing inside the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) around the Hawaiian Islands as well as those vessels fishing without an American Samoa permit in the high seas. To forecast whether the fishery will exceed this catch limit, the Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) uses historical data to project future catches.