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Fishing Methods

All fishing methods have advantages. And all can be improved. That’s our focus.

Commercial fishers use five primary methods, or fishing gear types, for catching tuna. The purse seine method is most common, accounting for about two-thirds of tuna caught globally every year.

Each method has advantages as well as areas of concern. ISSF does not believe there is one “best method” for tuna fishing. All fishing methods can be improved based on sound science and practical approaches.

About 66% of the tuna catch globally is made by the purse seining fishing method, followed by longline (9%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%), and miscellaneous gears (13%).

Gear Types

Here are several of the methods used in tuna fishing.

Longline

Pole and Line

Troll

Gillnet

Purse Seine

ProActive Vessel Register List

Tuna vessels of all gear types that want to identify as active participants in meaningful tuna sustainability efforts can apply to be listed in ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) — a seafood-sourcing tool for tuna companies and other stakeholders.

Sustainable Fishing Guides

Visit the ISSF Guidebooks site for online and downloadable guides for tuna skippers and observers in purse-seine, pole-and-line, and longline fisheries who want to fish more sustainably.