What Are Catch Estimates and Why They Matter
Fisheries managers and scientists need to know how many fish are caught each year in different parts of the ocean. These numbers are called catch estimates. Catch estimates help us understand if fish populations are healthy or at risk.
An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a stretch of ocean (up to 200 nautical miles from a country’s coast) where that country has special rights for fishing and resource management. The high seas are areas beyond any country’s EEZ. This page shows catch estimates broken down by EEZ and high seas areas in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.
Overview of the WCPFC Catch Estimates File
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) collects fishing data from its members (CCMs) and cooperating non-members (CNMs). In this file, you can find annual estimates of how many tuna and billfish were caught in each EEZ and in the high seas. The data follow the Commission’s “Rules and Procedures for the Protection, Access to, and Dissemination of Data Compiled by the Commission” (RaP).
According to Appendix 1 of the RaP, public domain data must include:
- Annual catch estimates, organized by:
- Gear type (for example, longline or purse seine)
- Flag (the country or territory that reported the catch)
- Species
- Waters (either a CCM’s EEZ or high seas in the WCPFC Statistical Area)
Key Species Covered (2018–2022)
The file includes estimates for the main tuna and billfish species caught in our region:
- Albacore (Thunnus alalunga)
- Bigeye (Thunnus obesus)
- Skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis)
- Yellowfin (Thunnus albacares)
- Black Marlin (Makaira indica)
- Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans)
- Striped Marlin (Tetrapturus audax)
- Swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
What You’ll Find in the Downloadable Excel File
When you open the Excel file, you will see:
- Notes about how the “CATCH_BY_EZ” database was created (data sources and methods).
- Data Field Descriptions that explain each column in the tables.
- Gear Codes (for example, “LL” for longline, “PS” for purse seine).
- Flag Codes (two- or three-letter codes for each reporting country or territory).
- Fleet Codes (codes that identify different fishing fleets).
- Area Codes (identifiers for each EEZ and high seas statistical area).
All data cover the years 2018–2022. The time series starts in 2018 because that was the first year every CCM provided data with good coverage.
Technical Details and Revision Date
These catch estimates are prepared for public distribution under the current RaP (Rules and Procedures) . Data come from operational catch records, aggregated catch data, and annual summaries submitted by each CCM and CNM.