22nd Regular Session of the Scientific Committee

SC22 will consider the suitability and scope of the operating models and the robustness of underlying assumptions and parameterisation for representing yellowfin dynamics within the mixed fishery harvest strategy framework.

• The development of yellowfin tuna operating models represents an initial step toward integrating yellowfin into the WCPFC harvest strategy framework, noting that, unlike skipjack, South Pacific albacore, and bigeye, yellowfin currently has no dedicated management procedure and is managed indirectly within a mixed fishery framework dominated by purse seine and longline fisheries. Previous analyses have shown that under the current framework, yellowfin stock outcomes emerge from the interaction of other species’ MPs, particularly skipjack and bigeye, and existing management measures. The proposed operating models will therefore play a critical role in characterising key uncertainties, including fleet interactions, spatial structure, and the influence of fisheries outside direct control to evaluate the implications of the mixed fishery framework for yellowfin tuna.