UNIT 18 



PACIFIC HIGHLY MIGRATORY PELAGIC FISHERIES 



78 



INTRODUCTION 



The Fishes in this group range the high seas is either precarious or unknown. Some 

 and often are outside U.S. fisheries man- species are sought vigorously by both 

 agement jurisdiction. The status of several commercial and sport fishermen. 



SPECIES AND STATUS 



Highly migratory species include tropical 

 tunas (yellowfin and skipjack), albacore, 

 billfishes, sharks, and other large pelagic 



fishes. Most are caught commercially, but 

 some, especially certain billfishes, support 

 important recreational Fisheries as well. 



Tropical Tunas 



The tropical tunas (yellowfin and skipjack) 

 are Fished with longlines across the Pacific, 

 whereas the purse seine is the primary gear 

 in the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP) and 

 the Central-Western Pacific (CWP) regions. 

 Fishing in both the ETP and CWP is gener- 

 ally between lat. 20°N and 20°S. Mexico is 

 the primary fishing nation in the ETP. Oth- 

 ers include the United States, Vanuatu, 

 Venezuela, and some other coastal na- 

 tions. Major fishing nations in the CWP are 

 the United States, Japan, Korea, and Tai- 



wan. Current, recent, and long-term poten- 

 tial yields for the various species are given 

 in Table 18-1. 



About 90% of the Pacific yellowfin tuna 

 catch is taken by purse seine, pole-and- 

 line, longline, and handline. Purse seiners 

 account for 30-50% of the catch. Virtually 

 all skipjack tuna is taken by pole-and-line 

 and purse seine. 



During 1970-80, the ETP fishery was 

 expanding and dominated by the United 

 States. Fishing became less profitable in 



Table 18-1— Recent average, 

 current potential, and long-term 

 potential yields in metric tons (t), 

 and status of utilization for 

 Pacific highly migratory species. 

 The LTPY, CPY, and RAY for the 

 unit equals the sum of the 

 species' LTPY's, CPY's, and RAY's. 

 Where the species' LTPY is 

 unknown, the species' CPY is 

 substituted in the sum. If the 

 species' CPY is unknown, the 

 species' RAY is substituted. 



1988 90 average 



2 CWP=Centraf Western Pacific Ocean 

 3 ETP=Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean 



