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IV. STATUS OF CURRENT RESEARCH NEEDS AND EFFORTS 

 IV. A. Major Research Problems 



Skipjack tuna are widely distributed in the Pacific Ocean and are 

 believed to constitute a large resource. All the evidence available to 

 date indicates that the resource is still underexploited. It has been 

 stated that conservation of the skipjack tuna resource would not be a 

 significant issue in the future development of fisheries in the western 

 equatorial Pacific and that development and management strategies will 

 likely be directed at maximizing yields and optimizing socioeconomic 

 returns (Kearney 1979). 



IV. B. Current Research Efforts 



The South Pacific Commission (SPC) headquartered at Noumea, New 

 Caledonia, recently initiated a skipjack tuna assessment program in the SPC 

 area of interest. The SPC research effort includes tagging, study of blood 

 genetics, exploratory fishing for tuna and bait, and analyzing basic 

 biological data (length, weight, sex, maturity, and stomach contents). 



m 



The Tohoku Regional Fisheries Research Laboratory (presumably the 

 ..ajor agency for skipjack tuna research in Japan) prepares an atlas of 

 Japanese skipjack tuna fishing operations in the southern fishing grounds, 

 which includes data on monthly catch rates and length- frequency 

 distributions. Research on skipjack tuna has also been conducted in Taiwan, 

 including studies on age and growth, larvae, sexual maturity and fecundity, 

 and morphometries. 



IV. C. Future Research Needs 



Results of recent studies on blood genetics suggest a complex 

 population structure for skipjack tuna in the Pacific Ocean. Although all 

 evidence indicates that the skipjack tuna resource is still underutilized, 

 it is important to determine the population structure of Pacific skipjack 

 tuna clearly. 



IV.C.l. Suggested Approach and Methods 



The Skipjack Survey and Assessment Programme of the South 

 Pacific Commission recently completed the field work for a skipjack tuna 

 tagging program. The Programme is also conducting skipjack tuna blood 

 genetics studies and other ancillary studies to investigate the stock 

 structure of Pacific skipjack tuna. It is expected that much will be 



