US President Donald Trump has signed the Illegal Red Snapper and Tuna Enforcement Act into law on October 15 to help authorities identify where certain fish were caught, detect seafood fraud, and prevent illegally caught fish from entering the US market. The law covers three tuna species – yellowfin, bigeye, and Atlantic bluefin.

The law assigns several agencies including NOAA to co-develop standard chemical-analysis methodology and conduct pilot studies to determine the origin of the tuna and red snapper. This includes a portable field-testing kit that one person can carry. Where practicable, it should also be capable of testing prepared seafood, including raw tuna served as sushi or poké.

The Ecuadorian tuna organization TUNACONS, last week, won the inaugural International PUCEM Awards 2026, presented by the Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador in Manabí, a private university in Ecuador, in recognition of TUNACONS’ support for the institution’s marine biodiversity conservation initiatives.

The award highlights collaboration between academic institutions and fisheries organizations to advance scientific knowledge of sustainable fisheries and marine ecosystem protection. The partnership also aims to give university students greater opportunities for research and training on marine conservation and the responsible use of ocean resources, according to TUNACONS. The organization stated that when fishing organizations, NGOs, and universities collaborate, they contribute to developing solutions based on science and strengthening a culture of responsibility with the ocean.

South Korea’s science-based tuna fisheries management and cooperation between the government, fishing industry, and NGOs have been recognized as an international best practice at a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) event held at the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI). This achievement was the result of national research institutions verifying field data provided by the distant-water fishing industry, including Korea’s tuna longline fleet, and the joint support of the government and NGOs for sustainable fisheries, according to Korean news sites.

For more than four years, South Korea’s National Institute of Fisheries Science (NIFS), NGOs and the tuna industry have collaborated on fisheries management, covering protected species, electronic monitoring, bait resources and joint responses to international fisheries organizations. Bait resource management was highlighted as a key example at the COFI meeting. Under the system, the deep-sea fishing industry provides data and samples collected during fishing operations, which NIFS uses to identify bait species and assess resource conditions. NIFS President Kwon Soon-wook said the institute would continue to advance science-based resource management to support sustainable tuna fisheries.