The Political Economy of the Western and Central Pacific Tuna Commission: Why Decision-Making Is Slow and Hard

Abstract

The management of the Pacific tuna fishery is politically charged with diverse commercial, conservation, and sovereign interests. The fishery’s global importance is considerable; the Western and Central Pacific tuna fishery supplies about 30 per cent of world tuna. Reflecting the significance of this resource, almost 500 delegates, observers, and media gathered at Denarau in Fiji for the 13th Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting, 5–9 December 2016. The WCPFC is the peak international body that brings together different stakeholders to agree on conservation and management measures for the highly migratory fish stocks in the WCPFC Convention Area. This is a vast area that stretches far north to the upper reaches of Japan, and far south to the southern end of New Zealand, but does not include the disputed areas of the South China Sea.