WAFIC - FAQ

Is tuna good for you?

Yes. Tuna, an excellent source of lean protein, vitamins and minerals, is a wonderful way to excite the palate while maintaining a balanced diet. However, tuna has more to offer than just great taste and nutrition. Tuna can also help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Research has shown that omega-3 fatty acids, found in abundance in fatty fish like tuna can help lower the risk of heart disease, ease the pain of arthritis, reduce asthma complications, and is essential in the growth and development of young children. (Source: US Tuna Foundation). For information on mercury levels in swordfish and tuna. Click here

Where do you catch tuna and swordfish?

Australia’s western fishery extends from the top of Queensland, across NT, down past WA and covers all of SA. However, most of the fishing is done in WA with nearly 100% of boats unloading in the ports of Fremantle, Geraldton, Albany, Carnarvon and Exmouth. The fishery therefore provides economic benefits to rural and regional WA.

Some of the tuna and swordfish are found near the continental shelf (about 40 km offshore) while others are truly oceanic and follow water currents. Some WA tuna boats fishing for these animals travel up to 1,000 nautical miles (1,850 km) offshore.

What are the benefits of the tuna fishery for WA?

The tuna industry generates up to $50 million per year in export and domestic sales. With up to 40 boats in the fleet, there are over 200 direct maritime jobs created by the fishery. The fleet also generates jobs for tradespeople, shipyards, seafood processors and sellers and so on.

A number of new boats have been commissioned and built here in WA in recent years with others having extensive re-fits in WA shipyards.

Do you need any special licences to fish for tuna commercially?

Yes. You need a licence from the Commonwealth government. There are 123 licences for the fishery off WA. 90 of them allow longline fishing while the rest are for other methods such as drop line, pole fishing, and net fishing.

You also need special maritime qualifications for certain jobs on a boat such as being skipper, first mate, or engineer. There are no qualifications needed to be a general deckhand on a tuna boat.

The industry also has a voluntary Code of Practice, which was developed and implemented in conjunction with SeaNet. The Code is carried by all tuna boats and is another example of the industry’s commitment to responsible fishing.

Can I catch tuna recreationally?

Yes. The managers of the tuna fisheries and the commercial operators recognise that it is a shared resource. Recreational anglers in WA are allowed a daily “bag limit” of two tunas.

Is the WA industry all longline fishing?

No. The longline industry certainly helped develop WA’s tuna fishery but there are another methods currently used, and planned for the future. Some people troll for tuna by towing a lure behind a moving boat. Soon there will be a purse seine tuna fishery where the tuna are caught with nets. There are also plans for a tuna farm for WA that will grow up to 2,000 tonnes of tuna per year.

Is “broadbill” just another name for marlin?

No. Broadbill swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and the various marlins are often grouped together and referred to as “Indo Pacific Billfish”. This group also includes spearfish and sailfish. The commercial fishery does not take blue or black marlin but is allowed to take striped marlin, which is a by-product of fishing for tuna.

I heard that tuna stocks in danger from over fishing, should I stop eating it?

Australian fishermen do not impact significantly to overfishing of global tuna stocks.

For example, bigeye tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean are currently being fished at levels thought by scientists to be too high. About 150,000 tonne of bigeye are taken from the Indian Ocean, mainly off the coast of Africa by the European Union and other industrial fleets. Australia only takes about 450 tonne of this, and our fishery is recognised as being managed to world’s best standard.

Isn’t longline fishing harmful to seabird populations?

Some longline fisheries do have an interaction with seabirds, especially if they fish in areas of high seabird concentrations, or use bait or techniques, which are more attractive to seabirds. This is not the case in WA’s tuna fishery.

The tuna fishery off WA is currently operating an observer program where independent observers go to sea to monitor fishing. The observers have not logged one single seabird interaction in observing over 100,000 hooks being set and hauled.

^ top