title: Programmatic Environmental Assessment To Revise U.S. Commercial Fishing Regulations for Pacific Bluefin Tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean
Creators: name: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Region
Publisher: name: NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service West Coast Region
Year: 2025

description: Pacific bluefin tuna (PBF) is a highly migratory species of substantial ecological and economic importance. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) regularly implements management measures for Pacific bluefin tuna harvest in the eastern Pacific Ocean, where the species is caught by U.S. coastal purse seine vessels, hook-and-line boats, and other gears. These measures follow from Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) resolutions, which specify annual and biennial bluefin catch limits for each Member and Cooperating Non-Member, including the United States. Beginning in 2012 when the IATTC began adopting Pacific bluefin tuna resolutions, the stock assessments showed that the Pacific-wide stock of bluefin tuna was overfished and subject to overfishing with respect to commonly used reference points. In response, U.S. managers negotiated with other member countries and worked within regional fishery management organizations to adopt management measures, monitoring programs, and collaborative working groups in an effort to rebuild the stock. This effort led to rebuilding of the population. In 2022, NMFS determined the stock was no longer experiencing overfishing. In 2024, based on the latest stock assessment, NMFS determined that PBF was no longer overfished and continued to be not experiencing overfishing. In 2024, following the success in rebuilding the stock, the IATTC adopted a resolution which increased the Pacific bluefin tuna catch limits for the United States (and other countries). Under this proposed action, NMFS seeks to implement revised Pacific bluefin tuna catch limits that ensure equitable fishing opportunity to U.S. fleets. The most recent management regime expired at the end of calendar year 2024, and implementing new catch limits is necessary to satisfy U.S. obligations as a Member of the IATTC. This Programmatic Environmental Assessment, prepared in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act, assesses the environmental and socioeconomic impacts that could result from the proposed action. It includes three alternatives: (1) a No Action alternative, (2) an alternative based on the catch limits in the most recent IATTC resolution, and (3) a higher catch limit than the 2024 IATTC recommended catch limit. We analyzed the impacts of the proposed action to the natural environment as well as the socioeconomic environment, and found no significant impact. The biological impacts of the proposed action alternatives are likely to be minor due to the selective nature of Pacific bluefin tuna fishing methods and the IATTC’s precautionary approach to management. The socioeconomic effects are expected to be positive. If future IATTC resolutions fall within the scope of alternatives analyzed in this Programmatic Environmental Assessment, and the impacts or the affected environment have not significantly changed, this document may be used to evaluate the impacts of those actions.