Spanish recreational vessels captured 44 tons of bluefin in two days, exhausting the quota reserved for the entire season running from June to October. Recreational fishers, in 1,900 vessels, fished for the bluefin from June 16 to 18, after which the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Food placed an “immediate and definitive closure of the campaign,” reported Spanish news sites.

The regulations underlined that only recreational fishing without killing is allowed. However, reports stated that over 500 specimens – weighing at least 30 kg each – were killed in the activity, which, according to experts, “revealed the failure of the current model of control and sustainability,” reported news sites. A majority of the activities took place near the Valencia, Alicante, and Castellón provinces, followed by Cádiz and Guipúzcoa. The Spanish recreational fishing period for bluefin follows the Almadraba season, held from May to the beginning of June. The Spanish Fisheries Ministry allotted 6,783 tons of bluefin to national-flagged vessels in 2025, including the 0.64 percent for recreational fishing.

Mexican tuna company Grupo Pinsa is all set to neutralize the water footprint of its tuna canning operations in Mazatlán through the conservation of strategic watersheds, which would play a vital role in protecting 1,375 hectares of rainforest. Pinsa signed a five-year contract with the small La Noria community (in Mazatlán) and the National Forestry Commission of Mexico (CONAFOR) to implement solutions to guarantee water, restore ecosystems, and strengthen community development. Safeguarding the 1,375 hectares of rainforest in the Presidio River basin, the only source of surface water for Mazatlán, is important, reported Mexican news sites.

“Protecting the Presidio River watershed not only guarantees water for our operations, but for an entire region. It is a strategic, ethical, and necessary decision for the future of Mazatlán,” explained Víctor Manuel Ledón Lizárraga, CEO of Grupo Pinsa. This agreement is “not just about compensating, but also about regenerating and protecting the sources of life we share with the communities.” Grupo Pinsa, one of Mexico’s leading tuna processors and owner of the Dolores brand, produces up to 1 million cans a day and is a main manufacturer of yellowfin products in the country. It also has a fishing division, Pesca Azteca, that operates one of Latin America’s largest yellowfin fleets with 23 purse seiners and over 1,000 crew members.

Panama was the recent nation to formally accept the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) much-anticipated Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies. Only nine more acceptances are required for the Agreement to enter into force. On June 12,  Minister of Trade and Industry, Julio Moltó, formally accepted the agreement from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Director General, WTO. He said: “Our ratification reaffirms Panama’s commitment to the multilateral system and to protecting its seas.”

The Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies was formally adopted in June 2022, at the WTO’s 12th Ministerial Conference, to regulate and limit harmful fisheries subsidies, particularly those that contribute to overfishing, overcapacity, and IUU fishing. To date, 102 nations have already signed the agreement, and it needs to hit 111 to go into force. Tuna-fishing nations in the EU, China, Mauritius, and Ecuador are some of them. The US accepted the agreement in April 2023 and another superpower, Russia, which has no tuna fishing boats, is among those that have formally accepted it.

Italy has reported several incidents of illegal bluefin fishing with over 10 tons seized in the past six months. The most recent took place in Teulada, southwest of Cagliari, in May. Coast Guard and fisheries officials confiscated nine illegally caught bluefin while they were being transferred into a truck. The perpetrators were issued a fine of EUR 5,400.

Officials are donating these illegally captured fish to people from economically disadvantaged families. The Catania Veterinary Department, along with food banks and NGOs, will hand over the fish in the coming days under the ‘Cuore Generoso’ and ‘Ri-Pescato’ projects, which donate seized food, reported Italian news sites. The veterinary department did inspection and laboratory analysis to ensure that the fish are healthy for consumption.

John Burton, a founding member of the Global Tuna Alliance (GTA), has stepped down from the organization’s Partnership Advisory Group. Sarah Eames, COO of World Wise Foods, will fill the vacant position in the Group. GTA announced this in a press statement. It said that Burton was one of the longest-serving members of the Advisory Group and “played a pivotal role in helping shape our direction, challenge our thinking, and drive real change for sustainable tuna and promoting the interests of small-scale tuna fisheries in developing coastal states.”

Burton is the Co-Founder of the International Pole-and-Line Foundation (IPNLF), established to support pole-and-line caught tuna fisheries. He is the founder of UK-based World Wise Foods and holds the majority of the shares. Burton is also the Director and Chair of the company.  Through his Sustainable Fisheries and Communities Trust, he funds several human rights initiatives and environmental NGOs that protect the livelihoods of coastal communities in vulnerable coastal states in the Indian Ocean.

Eleven fishers on a small purse seiner were rescued yesterday after their boat took in water while fishing for tuna in the waters of Lý Sơn in Vietnam’s Quảng Ngãi province. Captain of the fishing boat ‘QNg 95039 TS’ sent out a distress signal in the wee hours of Wednesday after the boat started taking in water. Upon receiving the information, several local fishing vessels that were operating nearby quickly approached and brought all 11 fishermen safely aboard, reported Vietnamese news sites. However, their mini seiner sank despite efforts to save it.

Officials stated that they will conduct an investigation into the incident, calculate the damage, and provide support to the fishermen. Lý Sơn, a region in the South China Sea, is known for its tuna fishing, mainly for skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye.

Last week, the Malaysian Coast Guard detained a fishing vessel for having illegally anchored in the nation’s EEZ, near Penang, without prior permission. Upon inspecting the boat, which Chinese and Indonesian crew members operated, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officials found 12 tons of tuna. However, information on whether the fish was illegally caught was not revealed. MMEA detained the vessel’s captain and chief engineer.

MMEA assured to enhance surveillance in the Penang region, known for tuna catches and home to several boats, so that fish stocks are not jeopardized. The agency’s spokesperson said that his team would not compromise on ensuring the country’s maritime laws are followed strictly, especially involving suspicious activities in strategic waters such as Penang, reported Malaysian news sites.

Italian tuna brand Tonno Nostromo is stepping up its product promotion by partnering with Milan-based digital creative company Jump. Tonno Nostromo is a subsidiary of Spanish Nauterra. Jump will handle Tonno Nostromo’s website, social channels, and the NostroClub community, its official loyalty and engagement community where consumers earn points and win prizes. The brand is active on social media, especially Instagram, where it has over 16,500 followers.

A spokesperson for the company said that Nostromo offers a wide range of lines and tuna products designed to respond to different lifestyles and consumer habits. “Together with Jump, we want to give impetus to our positioning on these channels and be even closer to people by leveraging targeted and captivating content, capable of surprising and engaging,” reported marketing news sites. Tonno Nostromo produces tuna in cans and jars. It also sells other seafood such as mackerel, sardines, and salmon.