WCPFC Harvest Strategy | Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Page updated: 11 Feb 2026

What is a Harvest Strategy?

Simple Definition: A harvest strategy is a pre-agreed plan that sets how much fishing is sustainable while keeping fish populations healthy and productive.

Think of a savings account with interest. You withdraw at a steady rate so the balance stays strong. A harvest strategy applies the same logic to fish stocks so fishing today does not undermine tomorrow’s supply.

Why Harvest Strategies?

Protect Fish Populations: Keep stocks at safe levels that support reproduction and long-term productivity.
Support Fishing Communities: Maintain steady fishing opportunities and reduce boom-bust cycles.
Economic Stability: Provide predictable catch or effort limits for business planning.
Ocean Health: Reduce the risk of depleting one species and harming the wider ecosystem.

The WCPFC committed in 2014 to develop harvest strategies for priority tuna stocks in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

WCPFC11 agreed to a conservation and management measure in 2014 and updated it in 2022. The goal is simple, have clear, science-based plans for each key species.

Conservation and Management Measures

Pacific Bluefin Tuna: See HS 2023-02 and current rebuilding actions.

North Pacific Albacore: See HS 2023-01.

Skipjack: Managed under CMM 2022-01 with a full management procedure.

Scientists track performance of the skipjack management procedure using a detailed monitoring strategy adopted in 2024.

Understanding the Science: How Harvest Strategies Work

The Building Blocks

Every harvest strategy has several components that work together.

Target Reference Points	The desired stock level that provides stable yield and low risk.
Limit Reference Points	A safety floor for stock size that triggers urgent action if approached.
Management Procedures	Rules that link observed stock indicators to catch or effort limits.
Monitoring	Regular checks and reviews to confirm the strategy performs as intended.

Species-by-Species Progress

Skipjack Tuna: Complete

What This Means: The fishery runs under a tested management procedure that adjusts fishing based on data.

Key Features:

Management Strategy Evaluation: Thousands of simulations tested candidate rules before adoption.
Performance Indicators: Risk of breaching limits, average catch, catch variability, and stock status.
Scheduled Reviews: Triennial checks with a formal monitoring strategy adopted in 2024.
Multi-fleet Design: Considers purse seine, pole-and-line, and other fisheries together.

Background:

Workshops and technical sessions in 2016, 2019, and 2020

What’s Next: Continue monitoring and test sensitivity to climate-driven changes in distribution and productivity.

South Pacific Albacore: Complete

Current Status: Management procedure adopted (2025)

The Goal: Maintain stock at 56 percent of unfished level. Expected result is higher CPUE for southern longline fleets relative to 2013.

Work Underway:

Implementing Measure: Allocation workshops and progress toward adoption of an implementing measure in 2026.
MSE Operating Models: Account for life history and wide spatial range.
Cross-Boundary Catches: Consider interactions with adjacent areas.

Interactive Tool: Explore options with SPAMPLE.

Bigeye and Yellowfin Tuna: Planning Phase

The Challenge: These species are often caught with skipjack, so rules must work for a "mixed fishery".

Approach: Stepwise. Develop bigeye targets and candidate management procedures first, then yellowfin.

Current Focus:

Candidate Bigeye Targets: 32 percent, 34 percent, and 36 percent of unfished level for testing.
HCR Development: Link longline catch and purse seine effort controls to stock indicators.
Mixed-Fishery Testing: Evaluate cross-effects so one species’ rule does not undermine another.
2026 Intersessional Work: Series of bigeye management workshops planned for 2026 to progress toward adoption of a management procedure at WCPFC23.

Technical Reference: Mixed fishery modeling described in SC17-MI-WP-05.

Southwest Pacific Swordfish: Planning Phase

Workplan adopted at WCPFC22 (2025).

North Pacific Stocks

North Pacific Albacore: Complete

The Commission adopted HS 2023-01 in December 2023. The strategy includes reference points and a decision rule.

Pacific Bluefin Tuna: Complete

The Commission adopted HS 2023-02 at WCPFC20. A joint WCPFC-IATTC working group met in February 2025 to advance MSE work.

North Pacific Swordfish: Complete

The Commission accepted HS 2016-01 in 2019. Current measures appear in CMM 2023-03.

North Pacific Striped Marlin: Rebuilding Plan

WCPFC21 adopted CMM 2024-06 to rebuild the stock with time-bound targets and strict catch controls.

How Science and Management Work Together

Science-Management Dialogue

Purpose: Scientists present analyses. Managers set objectives and choose among tested options. The dialogue aligns science outputs with policy needs.

In 2022, WCPFC held its first Science-Management Dialogue. Outcomes included narrowing skipjack rule options, requests for targeted analyses, and a plan to build capacity among decision-makers.

These Meetings Deliver:

Plain-language results and trade-offs.
Clear management objectives and constraints.
Agreed technical settings for candidate rules.
Faster iteration between science and policy.

Building Understanding: Education and Training

Interactive Learning Tools at SPC

SPAMPLE: Test albacore settings.
Hierophant: View model diagnostics.

Training Programs

Online course: SPC learning platform.
Workshops: Over 260 participants across 17 sessions.
Professional exchanges: One-year placements at SPC for Pacific fisheries professionals.
Communication materials: Posters, leaflets, and an introductory video.
FAO elearning Academy: Management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries - Management strategy evaluation

Safety Limits: Protecting Fish Populations

Understanding Limit Reference Points

Simple Explanation: LRPs are safety floors for stock size. Crossing them signals unacceptable risk and triggers strong action.

The Three-Level Approach: Method varies by data quality.

Level	When Used	Safety Limits Used
Level 1	High information on biology and stock productivity	Benchmarks like FMSY and BMSY
Level 2	Good knowledge of biology and fisheries Used for: bigeye, yellowfin, South Pacific albacore	20 percent of unfished spawning biomass or similar
Level 3	Data-limited or high environmental variability Used for: skipjack	20 percent of estimated recent unfished biomass

Acceptable Risk Levels

Commission Guidance: No more than a 20 percent probability of breaching the LRP. Harvest strategies are designed and tested to meet this threshold.

Success Stories and Lessons Learned

Historical Workshops and Development

Four workshops between 2012 and 2015 shaped today’s framework.

MOW1 (2012): Initial objectives workshop in Manila.
MOW2 (2013): Objectives and indicators in Cairns.
MOW3 (2014): Commitment to harvest strategy in Apia.
MOW4/HSW (2015): Technical review and next steps in Bali.

Learning Resources

Introductory guides on key concepts:

Looking Forward: Future Plans

The Road Ahead: The Indicative Work Plan under CMM 2022-03 guides delivery of harvest strategies for remaining stocks.

Upcoming Priorities

Bigeye Management: Decide the target and adopt a tested management procedure.
South Pacific Albacore: Adopt an implementing measure for the management procedure that was adopted in 2025.
Mixed Fishery Integration: Align skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin strategies so rules work together.
Climate Considerations: Test and adapt strategies for changing productivity and distributions.
Monitoring Improvements: Strengthen data, standardization, and review schedules.

Key Documents and Resources

Essential Reading

Foundation Documents:

CMM 2014-06: Original harvest strategy framework.
CMM 2022-03: Updated framework and work plan.
CMM 2022-01: Skipjack management procedure.

Current Harvest Strategies:

HS 2023-01: North Pacific Albacore.
HS 2023-02: Pacific Bluefin Tuna.
HS 2016-01: North Pacific Swordfish.

Work Plans and Progress:

WCPFC20 Att 4: Indicative work plan.
WCPFC21 Att. 16: Updated schedule and tasks.

A historical overview of the WCPFC's development of its harvest strategy framework since 2015 for bigeye, yellowfin, skipjack, and South Pacific albacore can be found HERE.