22nd Regular Session of the Scientific Committee

SC22 will review ISC presentations on progress in developing the long-term harvest strategy, assess the scientific basis including MSE outcomes and proposed elements, and provide comments and advice to the Commission to support consideration and adoption of the harvest strategy.

• The development of a long-term harvest strategy for Pacific bluefin tuna builds on progress made through the Joint IATTC–WCPFC NC Working Group (JWG), including JWG10 in 2025 and the intersessional JWGI03 meeting in March 2026, following completion of the Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE) and the stock’s recovery to the second rebuilding target of 20% of unfished spawning biomass in 2021. While JWG10 reviewed MSE results and outlined key elements of a comprehensive harvest strategy, it did not reach consensus on harvest control rules and therefore initiated further intersessional work to refine options and advance agreement toward adoption. JWGI03 continued this process by narrowing candidate harvest control rules, discussing reference points and control rules, and developing a draft “Newport Beach Management Procedure,” with the expectation that a fully specified long-term harvest strategy will be finalized in 2026 and implemented in 2027, replacing the current interim harvest strategy framework.