This proposal was developed in response to a call from WCTBFMAC for research into
the population structure of bigeye tuna stocks exploited in the west coast tuna fishery.
The longline fishery for bigeye tuna off the western coast of Australia is a rapidly
expanding fishery due to the high export value of this species. information
regarding the stock structure of bigeye tuna is vital for the long term sustainability of the
fishery. Uncertainty regarding bigeye stock structure seriously restricts the confidence
that scientists and fisheries managers can place in the regional assessments that have been
carried out to date. At a national or sub-regional level, fisheries managers need to have a
better idea of the broader surrounding population of bigeye from which the fish in their
fisheries are drawn. In fact, knowledge of the stock structure of bigeye tuna in the eastern
Indian Ocean has been listed as the number one priority of the Western Coast Tuna and
Billfish Management Advisory Committee.