Background information
Stock condition
Skipjack is not managed as one global stock. Instead, each ocean basin treats it as a distinct population because the species shows broad regional structuring and limited mixing across oceans. In the Pacific, genetic and tagging evidence supports a separation between the Western and Central Pacific (WCPO) and Eastern Pacific (EPO), and the WCPO is assessed and managed as a single but spatially partitioned stock. The EPO is managed separately by IATTC, with coordination in the overlap area. The same basin‑by‑basin approach applies in the Indian and Atlantic Oceans under their respective regional bodies. This ocean‑specific management also reflects practical fishery realities, such as fleets, set types, and ocean conditions (e.g., ENSO‑driven shifts) which differ by basin, and in the WCPO most catch occurs in Pacific Island EEZs, so regional rules are tailored to local dynamics while keeping the stock healthy.
Current fishery status
Skipjack dominates the WCPO tuna fishery and is largely a purse‑seine fishery. In 2024, skipjack catch reached 2,107,666 mt—a new record and ~70% of all tuna taken in the WCPFC Convention Area. Purse‑seiners accounted for 1,780,549 mt of that skipjack (about 83% of purse‑seine catch), while pole‑and‑line and other gears provided smaller contributions. Most WCPO tuna catch (~88% in 2024) occurs in coastal States’ EEZs rather than the high seas. A notable operational shift in 2024 was toward more free‑school sets in the western WCPO, which contributed to record skipjack catch and historically low purse‑seine bigeye catch. Fleet participation remains centered on Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, and the USA, alongside expanded Pacific Islands fleets. Additional purse‑seine participants that entered in the 2000s (e.g., China, Ecuador, El Salvador, New Zealand, European Union (Spain)) remain active.
Importance of the fishery
Skipjack underpins the WCPO’s status as the world’s largest tuna fishery. In 2024, the WCPO supplied ~54% of global tuna and ~85% of Pacific‑wide tuna, with skipjack as the mainstay species. The delivered value of skipjack alone was estimated at ~US $3.2 billion (up 8% from 2023), over half of the total tuna value in the WCPFC Convention Area. Because the great majority of catch is taken in Pacific Island EEZs, skipjack revenues are central to government income streams, employment, and on‑shore processing investment across the region.
Science
Stock status – latest assessment
The 2025 scientific assessment says skipjack in the western and central Pacific is in good shape. On average, the stock retains about half of its reproductive capacity compared with an unfished ocean (SB/SBF=0 ≈ 0.51; safety line = 0.20), and the current fishing pressure is only about one‑third of the level associated with maximum sustainable harvest (F/FMSY ≈ 0.35), so overfishing is not occurring. Both the stock’s breeding capacity and fishing pressure have been fairly steady since around 2010. Notably, 2024 ended with the stock at about 98% of the agreed target level, essentially right where managers aim to keep it. These results reflect improved methods in the assessment, including a better way to model natural death rates by size/age, adjustments for gradual “effort creep” in pole‑and‑line data, and refined treatment of how tagged fish mix and are reported after release.
Scientific advice to managers
When scientists ran the Management Procedure for skipjack in 2023 (see CMM 2022‑01 and the Harvest Strategy Framework page for more information) , the output told managers to hold steady for 2024–2026. In other words, keep purse‑seine fishing at about the 2012 level, pole‑and‑line at the 2001–2004 average level, and domestic catches in the East‑Asia region at the 2016–2018 average level. The skipjack Management Procedure works on a three‑year cycle and adjusts fishing up or down from these baselines only if the science shows the stock has moved away from its target.
Looking ahead, scientists’ message is: keep using the procedure, but improve the data that feeds it. This includes strengthening our understanding of how fast fish grow and how old they are, which is vital for tracking stock health and productivity. We’re also refining how we account for the movement of tagged fish and improving how often tags are recovered and reported, so our tagging data gives us a clearer picture. At the same time, we’re working to improve the quality of catch and length data from East Asia, a region that plays a major role in regional tuna fisheries. Finally, we’re aiming to reduce over-reliance on pole-and-line catch rates as a signal of tuna abundance, especially in places where that fishery has become patchy or less active. Together, these upgrades will help keep the procedure robust, so that scientific advice remains reliable and decisions stay stable, even as fisheries or data availability change.
How does the WCPFC manage the skipjack fishery?
Current management framework
Skipjack tuna is managed through two linked approaches that work together to keep the stock healthy and the fishery sustainable.
First, there’s a management procedure that includes important reference points. These are like thresholds on a gauge. The Limit Reference Point (LRP) is set at 20% of what the spawning population would be if no one were fishing and the Target Reference Point (TRP) is currently set at 50%, which reflects a safe and stable level we aim for. It’s based on how the stock has been doing recently and what we’d expect under normal fishing conditions.
The second part is a harvest control rule, which is a built-in system that tells us when to adjust fishing levels. Every three years, scientists run the procedure and recommend whether fishing should increase, decrease, or stay the same. The changes are made by applying a single adjustment (called a multiplier) to the current level of fishing effort. To keep things steady and predictable for fishers, the size of the change is limited: it can go up or down by no more than 10% at a time.
Skipjack tuna is also managed via the multi‑species Tropical Tuna Measure (CMM 2023‑01) which shapes day‑to‑day purse‑seine operations that overwhelmingly target skipjack. It includes the 1 July–15 August FAD‑set closure (20°N–20°S in EEZs and high seas) plus one additional month of high‑seas FAD closure selected by each CCM; non‑entangling FAD requirements for new deployments since 1 Jan 2024 and a Commission decision on biodegradable FADs by 2026; a cap of 350 activated instrumented buoys per vessel; and zone‑based purse‑seine effort controls in EEZs with high‑seas effort caps for non‑SIDS flags to ensure compatibility.
Management issues
The first issue is the relationship between fishing methods and the mix of tuna species being caught. In 2024, more tuna fishing was done on free-swimming schools rather than using floating objects. This helped deliver record-high catches of skipjack tuna and very low catches of bigeye tuna by purse seine vessels. It’s a good outcome for skipjack, but it also shows the importance of making sure that fishing practices stay aligned with skipjack goals without accidentally putting too much pressure on other species like bigeye.
Second, environmental variability regularly shifts the distribution of skipjack and purse‑seine effort east–west across the equatorial band (e.g., ENSO), so measures must remain effective under changing spatial patterns of fishing and availability.
Third, the system used to manage skipjack tuna depends on high-quality, up-to-date science, and recent work from the 2025 stock assessment shows there’s still room to improve. To keep the management system reliable, continued investment in the data behind it is important. The 2025 assessment highlighted some key areas needing attention: we need better information on how fast skipjack grow and how old they get, improved ways to handle data from tagged fish, stronger catch and size data from East Asia, and a closer look at how much we rely on pole-and-line fishing data in tropical areas where that fishery has shrunk.
Fourth, FAD management and debris remain active work streams: non‑entangling designs are in place, but decisions on biodegradable FADs and the review of the 350‑buoy limit are due by 2026, alongside improved tracking and retrieval of lost devices.
Finally, economic conditions in 2024 were mixed: overall tuna value fell, but skipjack value rose to ~$3.2 billion, underscoring the importance of a stable harvest strategy that can buffer market swings while holding the stock near its TRP.
Improving future management
Near‑term priorities are practical and already scheduled. Stay the course with the skipjack MP through 2026, when the next run will set measures for 2027–2029; the HCR’s ±10% guardrails should prevent disruptive swings while the stock sits near target. In parallel, deliver the CMM 2023‑01 milestones, including a decision on biodegradable FADs and the review of the 350‑buoy limit, and continue to encourage retrieval programs for lost FADs. On the science side, act on the 2025 assessment’s priorities: support growth/ageing work, refine tag‑mixing and reporting‑rate treatments, and strengthen East Asia data inputs so the MP’s estimation method remains sound. These steps will improve confidence in the 2026 MP run and keep skipjack fluctuating around the TRP with a low risk of breaching the LRP.
Take‑home: The skipjack fishery set a new record in 2024 and remains the economic engine of WCPO tuna. The 2025 assessment finds the stock well above the limit and near the target, and the adopted skipjack MP currently advises holding fishing at baseline levels while improving a short list of science inputs and completing FAD policy decisions by 2026.