Special Session of the Scientific Committee

Background:

SC22 welcomed progress made by the ISC’s Pacific Bluefin Tuna Working Group (PBFWG) and the Joint IATTC and WCPFC-NC Working Group on the Management of Pacific Bluefin Tuna (PBFJWG) towards developing a long-term harvest strategy. ISC provided updated PBF MSE information, including calculations of initial total allowable catches (TAC1) under newly requested HCRs and methods for deriving conversion factors among fishery management categories. Although full MSE results for previously evaluated HCRs had been presented at SC21, the newly proposed HCRs had not undergone full simulation testing due to time constraints. ISC indicated that their performance could generally be inferred from previously tested HCRs, as they fell between those candidates and were not expected to pose substantial stock risk. ISC also indicated that full simulation testing would be undertaken once an MP was adopted. SC22 considered that, in principle, any MP proposed for Commission adoption should undergo full MSE simulation testing and SC review before adoption. At the time of SC22, no agreed MP recommendation had been reached by the PBFJWG, and no proposal from NC22 had been submitted to SC22 for recommendation to the Commission. SC22 therefore agreed to revisit the matter at the Special SC Session. Subsequently, PBFJWG11(2) in August 2026 adopted an interim PBF MP and forwarded the associated draft WCPFC CMM to NC22-2 for resolution of outstanding allocation issues and finalization. Following adoption of the interim PBF MP by IATTC104 in September 2026, NC22-2 is expected to consider the PBFJWG11(2) recommendation and associated CMM before SSSC01, with a view to forwarding recommendations to WCPFC23 for adoption.

SSSC01 Action: 

The Special SC Session should review developments since SC22, including the interim PBF MP recommended by PBFJWG11(2), its subsequent adoption by IATTC104, the outcomes of NC22-2, if available, and updated scientific information from ISC.