What Are the ACE Tables?
ACE stands for Annual Catch and Effort. These tables show how much fish different fleets caught in the Western and Central Pacific, and how much effort (like fishing days or sets) they used. The information comes from scientific data submissions every April 30 and is updated throughout the year.
Why does this matter? Managers and scientists use ACE tables to:
- Track fishing activity across fleets and countries (called “CCMs”).
- Make sure fishing is sustainable by comparing catch and effort over time.
- Provide transparent, up-to-date information to all Members, Observers, and the public.
Each fleet is identified by its CCM (e.g., “Australia,” “Japan,” “Philippines”). For each fleet, separate sheets (Excel files) show catch and effort by gear type (like longline, purse seine, troll, etc.). You can download any sheet directly.
How and When Are the ACE Tables Published?
The ACE tables follow a regular schedule so that everyone knows when to expect updates. Below is the typical annual timeline:
- April 30 (Every Year)
Deadline for CCMs to submit “Scientific Data to be Provided to the Commission.” All fleets send in data by this date. - May 30 (Every Year)
Provisional ACE tables for the most recent five years are published. These are considered draft until further review. - June 30 (Every Year)
Latest ACE tables are published in preparation for the Scientific Committee (SC) meeting. - September 20 (Every Year)
Latest ACE tables are published in preparation for the Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC) meeting. - November (Every Year)
Final ACE tables (based on all comments) are published in preparation for the Regular Annual Session of WCPFC.
Once published, any CCM (Member, Cooperating Non-Member, or Participating Territory) can review the data. If a CCM spots errors or needs updates, they provide revisions back to WCPFC/SPC before the “Final” edition in November.
Additional Notes (as of 17 May 2022)
These points help explain what you see in the ACE tables beyond basic catch and effort:
- Maps of Catch by Species For the most recent five (5) years, maps show catch distribution. These maps follow WCPFC data rules by excluding activities from fewer than three vessels (to protect privacy).
- If a CCM wants an unfiltered map (showing all vessels), WCPFC can provide it privately to that CCM on request, but it is not published on the website.
- Additional Effort Estimates Where possible, effort estimates (for example, fishing days, hooks set, or hours fished) are derived from April 30 data submissions. This helps assess how effort has changed over time.
- Derived Catch and Effort Estimates In some cases, recent annual catch and effort figures are calculated (derived) because they help review how Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs) are being implemented. This is especially important for CCMs where deriving an estimate is feasible using April 30 data.
- Discards by Species Some longline fleets have submitted “discards” data (number of fish thrown back). These are not yet included in the ACE tables. A future update may add a worksheet showing “Discards in Number” for longline fleets.
Last Updated & How to Submit Corrections
Last updated on 20 August 2024 (Purse seine sheet updated 11 October 2024).
If a CCM finds errors or wants to revise data in any ACE table, please:
- Open the relevant Excel file.
- Highlight your edits within that file.
- Send the updated file to: Tiffanyv@spc.int (Dr. Tiffany Vidal, WCPFC Data Manager)
and cc: sungkwon.soh@wcpfc.int (Dr. SungKwon Soh, Science Manager).
Access the ACE Tables by Fleet
Below is a table listing every CCM (fleet) in alphabetical order. For each fleet, you’ll find links to download Excel files showing catch and effort data by gear type. If a cell is empty, that fleet did not submit data for that gear in the selected year.