The Fishing Year 2006

EPO PS, LP, RG catches by species 564,000 mt t Shown here are the EPO YFT, SKJ, BET & PBF catches in 2006 by purse seine, pole & line & recreational fishing gears. As you can see, {SHOW} YFT were low in 2006, while SKJ catches were at a record high {SHOW}. 2006 catches were 7% less than in 2005, and 1% greater than the 1996-2005 average of catches.

EPO PS, LP, RG, and LL catches by species 602,000 mt t This slide is the same as the previous one, only with longline catches added. 2006 catches of the above listed gears were about 6% less than in 2005. Normally about 80% of the longline catch is BET. In 2006 about 13% of PS, LP, RG catches were BET.

EPO PS/LP/RG fleet tuna catches by country 34% 2% 25% 12% 9% 14% 36% t 18% 18% 14% 8% These are the EPO purse seine, pole & line & recreational gear catches of tunas by country. ECU, MEX & PAN flag vessels caught 68% of total EPO tuna in 2006. MEX vessels caught 41% of YFT. ECU vessels caught 46% of the SKJ, and 48% of the BET. 3% 2% Flag Total catch 611,511 mt Total catch 563,824 mt

Purse-seine catch distributions - YFT Average 1996-2005 2006 {SHOWN HERE} are the purse seine YFT catch distributions for 2006 as compared to the 10 year average of catches for 1996-2005. In 2006 YFT catches were the lowest recorded since 1984. As you can see, YFT catches were low throughout the EPO, in both inshore and offshore areas as compared to the 10 year avg. of catches. Actually 44% lower than the 299,000 m/t average for 10 years. The 2006 YFT catch was 60% less than the record YFT catch year of 2002. 299,000 mt (239,000 to 412,000) 168,000 mt 44% lower

Purse-seine catch distributions - SKJ Average 1996-2005 2006 Catch distributions of SKJ are {SHOWN HERE}. There were extremely high SKJ catches on unassociated schools in the inshore areas of South America from about 0° to 20° S. Catches were also high on floating obj sets from about 90° W to 150° W. The 2006 record SKJ catch of 309,000 m/t was 63% higher than the 10 year average of catches, and 12% greater than the previous record high catches in 2003. 190,000 mt (104,000 to 274,000) 309,000 mt 63% higher

Purse-seine catch distributions - BET Average 1996-2005 2006 SHOWN HERE are the BET catch distributions. Prior to 1994 BET catches averaged about 6,000 m/t. The significant increase in BET catches since then is due to the increased use of FAD’s. Most of the PS catches of BET occur between 5° N and 10° S on floating obj. sets. 2006 BET catches are similar to the 1996-2005 average distributions, with the exception of higher catches on floating objects around 0° and west of 130° W. BET catches in 2006 were 15% higher than the 10 year average of catches, and 24% less than the record catches recorded in 2000. 62,000 mt (44,000 to 94,000) 71,000 mt 15% higher

IATTC field offices Mayagüez La Jolla Cumaná Mazatlán Manzanillo Manta These are the locations of the IATTC field offices. These offices are responsible for taking length frequency and species composition samples which we will be reviewing next. Manta Panamá Playas

Sampling areas The IATTC has 13 Lf/Species Comp Sampling areas SHOWN in the upper left; Wells are selected for sampling only if the fish in the well were from the same Month, Sample Area and from the same set type. There are 10 Surface Fishery Areas Defined for Stock Ass. 2 Areas,-N & S for Unass Sets. 4 areas,- N, S, Eq, & Ins for FO”s. 3 areas,-N, S, & Ins for Dolphin Sets//1 area, entire EPO for Pole-Line samples.

Size compositions - YFT 2006 by Area 2001 - 2006 The IATTC has assigned 10 YFT Areas {SHOWN HERE} for stock ass.; Of 1,053 Wells sampled in 2006, 739 contained YFT; The largest catches of YFT occurred on Dolphin. & Unassociated sets. {40-50 cm. YFT} {SHOW} were taken primarily in the Southern Unassociated Area in the 1st Qtr; in the Northern Floating Object Area in the 2nd Qtr & in the Equatorial & Inshore Floating Object fishery in the 4th Qtr. Larger {YFT >100 cm} {SHOW} were taken from the Southern Dolphin & Unassociated Areas in the 1st Qtr,and from the Northern & Inshore Dolphin areas during the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th Qtrs. The average size of YFT in 2006 of 7.8 Kg [SHOW} was significantly lower than in the previous 5 year periods shown above.

Size compositions - SKJ 2006 by Area 2001 - 2006 There are 8 SKJ Areas defined for stock assessments. Of the wells sampled 877 contained SKJ. Large amts of SKJ in 40-50 cm size range were taken the from Floating Obj. fisheries throughout the year, {SHOW} & in the Southern Unassociated area primarily in 1st & 2nd Qtrs. Larger SKJ in 60-70 cm sizes were caught primarily in the 3rd & 4th Qtrs in the Floating Obj areas {SHOWN HERE}. The average size of SKJ in 2006 of 2.4 Kg was lower than the previous 5 years.

Size compositions - BET 2006 by Area 2001 - 2006 There are 7 Areas used in stock assessments for BET. 338 wells contained BET. Nearly equal amounts of BET were taken from the Northern, Equatorial & Southern Floating OBJ. fishery throughout the year {SHOW}. Smaller BET (40-60 cm) were caught on OBJ sets in every Qtr. The larger BET (>80 cm) were taken from the Equatorial and Southern Floating Object areas primarily in the 1st, 2nd, & 4th Qtrs {SHOW}. The average size of BET was less than those observed in the previous 5 years, and was significantly less than the sizes in 2000 of 20.1 kilos. During 2006 PBF were caught from March thru August from about 26° N to 31° N. PBF catches in 2006 of 10,000 m/t were 6,000 m/t greater than the average of catches for 1996-2005. About 80% of the PBF catch is going to fish grow-out pens in Mexico.

The end