In 2022, 4.9 million tonnes of tuna, skipjack and bonito were captured globally. Overfishing pressure isn’t evenly shared: a large share of tuna activity occurs in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, while bycatch in some longline fisheries and weak reporting can obscure true stock impacts. This page traces how capture, fleet effort, and traceability measures—including reporting and documentation rules—connect to efforts to reduce pressure on tuna stocks.
Key Takeaways
- 4.9 million tonnes of “tuna, skipjack and bonito” were captured globally in 2022, per FAO capture production data
- 26% of global tuna fishing occurs in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), based on estimates of global catch distribution reported by tuna commission analyses
- 0.12–0.18 million tonnes of tuna are reported as bycatch in some longline fisheries outside target species definitions, per RFMO bycatch summaries used in stock assessment background documents
- The 2022 EU redirection of fishing effort controls for tuna-related fisheries included adjustments to purse seine capacity and FAD management, with tuna overcapacity identified in the impact assessment at 2022
- The 2023 G7 Fisheries Ministers’ declaration included a 100% catch reporting/traceability ambition for certain fisheries commodities, as described in the declaration text
- WCPFC publishes annual summaries of fleet capacity and fishing effort in its tuna fishery statistics updates, with measurable fleet days/sets reported
- Bycatch of non-target species in tuna purse-seine fisheries associated with drifting FADs and school sets is repeatedly quantified in assessments, with non-target catch composition varying by fishery and area; peer-reviewed syntheses document measurable bycatch impacts
- FAO estimates IUU fishing accounts for about 20% of global capture fisheries catches by volume, affecting tuna and other pelagic fisheries
- Cardiovascular and seafood nutrition benefits are not directly relevant to overfishing, but nutritional dependence on tuna proteins varies; the FAO provides measurable per-capita seafood consumption figures including fish products
- FAD management plans can include target reductions in FAD sets; some RFMO measures specify numeric FAD deployment/management rules (e.g., seasonal limits), enabling measurable reduction targets
- EU IUU Regulation catch documentation requires risk-based checks and refusal of imports when documentation is invalid; the regulation establishes mandatory operator submission for catch certificates
- FAO’s global catch documentation guidance includes an explicit requirement for 100% of relevant fishing/landing transactions to be recorded under catch documentation schemes, where implemented
- The global tuna market was valued at about US$40+ billion in 2023, as estimated by industry market research covering tuna products and trade
- Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is estimated by FAO to cost the global economy about US$10–20 billion per year, with tuna among frequently targeted pelagic species
- Fisheries subsidies can contribute to overcapacity; OECD estimates ocean-fishing support can be on the order of tens of billions of USD annually, driving pressure on overexploited stocks including tuna
In 2022, FAO data show 4.9 million tonnes of tuna were caught, but IUU fishing and bycatch still threaten stocks.
Related reading
01 · Category
Global Supply3 stats
01
4.9 million tonnes of “tuna, skipjack and bonito” were captured globally in 2022, per FAO capture production datahttps://www.fao.org/faostat/en/
02
26% of global tuna fishing occurs in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), based on estimates of global catch distribution reported by tuna commission analyseshttps://www.wcpfc.org/documents/annual-report
03
0.12–0.18 million tonnes of tuna are reported as bycatch in some longline fisheries outside target species definitions, per RFMO bycatch summaries used in stock assessment background documentshttps://www.iccat.int/en/Bycatch.html
Interpretation
Global Supply Interpretation
In the Global Supply picture, global tuna catches reached 4.9 million tonnes in 2022, with the Western and Central Pacific Ocean accounting for 26% of that supply while reported bycatch in some longline fisheries adds roughly 0.12 to 0.18 million tonnes beyond targeted species.
02 · Category
Policy & Enforcement3 stats
01
The 2022 EU redirection of fishing effort controls for tuna-related fisheries included adjustments to purse seine capacity and FAD management, with tuna overcapacity identified in the impact assessment at 2022https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:52022SC0008
02
The 2023 G7 Fisheries Ministers’ declaration included a 100% catch reporting/traceability ambition for certain fisheries commodities, as described in the declaration texthttps://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2023/05/13/g7-ministers-of-fisheries-declaration-on-combatting-illegal-fishing/
03
WCPFC publishes annual summaries of fleet capacity and fishing effort in its tuna fishery statistics updates, with measurable fleet days/sets reportedhttps://www.wcpfc.org/documents
Interpretation
Policy & Enforcement Interpretation
In 2022 the EU redirected tuna fishing effort controls by adjusting purse seine capacity and FAD management, and by 2023 the G7 pushed a 100% catch reporting and traceability ambition, while WCPFC keeps tightening enforcement capacity monitoring through its annual fleet and fishing effort summaries.
More related reading
04 · Category
Solutions & Monitoring8 stats
01
FAD management plans can include target reductions in FAD sets; some RFMO measures specify numeric FAD deployment/management rules (e.g., seasonal limits), enabling measurable reduction targetshttps://www.wcpfc.org/documents/cmm
02
EU IUU Regulation catch documentation requires risk-based checks and refusal of imports when documentation is invalid; the regulation establishes mandatory operator submission for catch certificateshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2008/1005/oj
03
FAO’s global catch documentation guidance includes an explicit requirement for 100% of relevant fishing/landing transactions to be recorded under catch documentation schemes, where implementedhttps://www.fao.org/3/i4673e/i4673e.pdf
04
Electronic monitoring (EM) deployments in fisheries can achieve detection rates above 90% for certain bycatch/gear events in trials summarized by peer-reviewed fisheries EM studieshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412020300061
05
At least 75% of tuna fisheries participating in some sustainability programs report chain-of-custody coverage of processed products to retail markets, based on program audit summaries by seafood certification bodieshttps://fsc.org/en
06
Peer-reviewed telemetry and monitoring studies for tuna employ Argos or GSM telemetry tags, with typical successful transmission rates reported as fractions of deployed tags (e.g., median >50% transmission success in field studies)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412017310111
07
Observer coverage requirements in some tuna fisheries mandate measurable minimum coverage rates (e.g., 5–20% depending on fleet segment) as described in RFMO scientific/compliance guidancehttps://www.iattc.org/en/meetings
08
Traceability systems using digital catch certificates can reduce documentation fraud rates in pilot implementations; independent evaluation reports quantify fraud detection improvementshttps://www.oecd.org/newsroom/combatting-illegal-fishing-through-traceability.htm
Interpretation
Solutions & Monitoring Interpretation
Across Solutions & Monitoring, tuna sustainability is increasingly supported by enforceable traceability and oversight tools, such as 100% catch documentation requirements, EU risk based checks with import refusals for invalid papers, and electronic monitoring trials reporting detection rates above 90% for certain bycatch events.
05 · Category
Economic Impact7 stats
01
The global tuna market was valued at about US$40+ billion in 2023, as estimated by industry market research covering tuna products and tradehttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2023/11/02/2775320/0/en/Tuna-Market-Size-Worth-43-7-Billion-By-2030.html
02
Illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing is estimated by FAO to cost the global economy about US$10–20 billion per year, with tuna among frequently targeted pelagic specieshttps://www.fao.org/3/y5797e/y5797e.pdf
03
Fisheries subsidies can contribute to overcapacity; OECD estimates ocean-fishing support can be on the order of tens of billions of USD annually, driving pressure on overexploited stocks including tunahttps://www.oecd.org/fisheries/ocean-fisheries-and-environment-2017-2018.htm
04
Observer coverage costs for pelagic fisheries can range from US$1,000–3,000 per trip/observer day in practical contracting, as described in industry cost discussions and fisheries observer procurement guideshttps://www.fao.org/3/i0400e/i0400e.pdf
05
Port State measures aimed at IUU reduction involve processing and inspection capacity; FAO guidance provides unit cost ranges used in implementing catch documentation, including for tuna consignmentshttps://www.fao.org/3/i0303e/i0303e.pdf
06
MSC certification for tuna fisheries includes requirements that can increase compliance costs; studies assessing certification impacts report cost increases in the low single digits (%) for some operatorshttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0306919219300776
07
Price premiums for certified sustainable seafood products are often reported as 5–15% in empirical studies covering seafood certification markets, relevant to tuna supply chainshttps://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08941920.2018.1542198
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From a strong economic standpoint, the tuna market’s roughly US$40+ billion value in 2023 is undermined by an estimated US$10 to 20 billion per year loss from IUU fishing and potentially large subsidy-driven overcapacity, showing how economic harm can scale far beyond the costs of responsible management.
Reference
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Tuna Overfishing Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tuna-overfishing-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Tuna Overfishing Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/tuna-overfishing-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Tuna Overfishing Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/tuna-overfishing-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+15 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)