This report outlines the findings from efforts to develop a business case for the sportfishing and commercial fish aggregating device (FAD) fisheries in the Dominican Republic (DR) that would ultimately benefit the declining billfish stocks in the region.  It was developed as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented Ocean Partnerships for sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation (OPP), a sub-project of the Common Oceans ABNJ Program led by UN-FAO.

This business case evaluates two strategies from a financial perspective, while providing links to environmental outcomes related to reducing billfish mortality. It also summarizes the anticipated social implications of increased YFT values and reduced billfish landings based on interviews carried out in country. These changes are linked to improvements in operational efficiency and increased market value to compensate fishers and other value-chain actors for the additional costs of implementing and/or complying with the conservation measures and enforcement mechanisms. Finally, the business case includes a summary of the relevant anticipated risks associated with the proposed investments. It was developed as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank-implemented Ocean Partnerships for sustainable fisheries and biodiversity conservation (OPP), a sub-project of the Common Oceans ABNJ Program led by UN-FAO.

Report on the impact of climate change on tropical tuna species and tuna fisheries in Pacific Island waters and high seas areas (modelling the effects of climate change on tuna abundance in areas beyond national jurisdiction), developed for Conservation International (CI) as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank implemented Common Oceans ABNJ Ocean Partnerships Project led by FAO. 

Information paper on the impact of climate change on tropical tuna species and tuna fisheries in Pacific Island waters and high seas areas (modelling the effects of climate change on tuna abundance in areas beyond national jurisdiction), developed for Conservation International (CI) as part of the GEF-funded, World Bank implemented Common Oceans ABNJ Ocean Partnerships Project led by FAO. 

Tuna are the focus of significant fisheries in the Pacific Ocean, with landings of four species (skipjack tuna, yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and albacore tuna) constituting approximately 70% of the global tuna catch. Stock assessments for skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and South Pacific albacore tunas in the Pacific Ocean currently assume eastern and western stocks, a split that reflects historical development of fishery management in the region rather than biological considerations. There is widespread agreement that uncertainties surrounding the stock structure of the four main target species could have important impacts on population dynamics models used to assess stock status and inform management options. Improved knowledge of stock structure is also essential to modelling the effects of climate change on the distribution and abundance of tuna species. This paper reviews current knowledge and understanding of the stock structure of skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and South Pacific albacore tunas in the Pacific Ocean, through an exploration of available literature relating to movement, connectivity, and spatial dynamics. Informed by an expert workshop, key questions were outlined that need to be addressed to determine the stock structure for each species, and propose some potential sampling designs by which future studies may address these uncertainties and improve understanding of stock structure of the four tuna species in the Pacific.