Introduction

The report aims to provide estimates of the value of catches of the four main commercial species caught in the Western and Central Paciffic Fisheireies Commission (WCPFC) Convention Area, that is, albacore (Thunnus alalunga), bigeye (Thunnus obesus), skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis) and yellowfin (Thunnus albacares). The report also provides catch data provided by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) and prices obtained from a range of sources (provided below) on which the estimated values are based. 
It is  important to note that the estimates are meant as indicative estimates only and that prices used are selected as indicative prices for the given species, gear type and market. Obviously not all product will be sold at the indicative price used. Further it is important to bear in mind that the prices are all "delivered" prices in that they reflect the price recieved at entry to the country in which they are usually sold whether for processing or consumption.  

Sources

Catch: All catch data is sourced from the Oceanic Fisheries Program (OFP) of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) (pers. com. Peter Williams, Fisheries Database Supervisor, December 2008)
Prices:
* Japanese fresh yellowfin and bigeye import prices from Oceania: Japan Customs (www.customs.go.jp/index_e.htm).
* Yaizu longline caught yellowfin, purse seine caught skipjack and yellowfin and pole and line caught skipjack prices: pers. com, Masao Nakada, Tuna Industry Adviser, Forum Fisheries Agency.            
* Frozen bigeye prices at selected Japanese ports:  US National Marine Fisheries Service, Sustainable Fisheries Division (swr.nmfs.noaa.gov/fmd/sfd.htm).
* Thai frozen albacore, skipjack and yellowfin import prices: Thai Customs Department (www.customs.go.th) 

Notes 

* Catch data: The catch data obtained from OFP-SPC has been restructured for presentation in this report. Any errors occurring in this process are those of the Forum Fisheries Agency. 
* Longline catch data: The frozen longline catch is taken to be the catch from the distant water longline fleets of Chinese Taipei and Japan and the longline fleet of Korea. The fresh longline catch is taken to be the catch of all other longfline fleets.
* Purse seine catch data: In the SPC data catches in by ring net vessels are seperated out. The purse seine catch estimates presented in this paper include catches taken by ring net vessels.  
* Longline prices: For yellowfin and bigeye caught by fresh longline vessels it is assumed that 80 per cent of the catch is of export quality and 20 per cent is non-export quality. For export quality  Japanese fresh yellowfin and bigeye import prices from Oceania are used, while it is simply assumed that non-export grade tuna attracted US$1.50/kg throughout the period covered in this report. For yellowfin caught by frozen longline vessels Yaizu market prices for longline caught yellowfin are used. For bigeye caught by frozen longline vessels frozen bigeye price at selected major Japanese ports are used. For albacore caught by fresh and frozen longline vessel Thai import price are used. The frozen longline catch is taken to be the catch from the longline fleets of Japan and Korea and the distant water longline fleet of Chinese Taipei. Any skipjack catch is assumed to attract the Thai frozen import price.
* Purse seine prices: For purse seine fleets predominatley supplying raw material for canning (that is, all fleets except the Japanese fleet) Thai import prices are used for skipjack and yellowfin. For the Japanese purse seine fleet, which predominatley supplies the Japanese katsuobushi market, the Yaizu prices for purse seine caught skipjack and yellowfin are used. For the Japanese purse seine fleet's albacore catch frozen Thai frozen albacore import prices are used. Bigeye is assumed to attract the same price as for skipjack in the respective market. 
* Pole and line prices: For the Japanese pole and line fleet skipjack prices are based on a weighted average of the Yaizu ‘south’ and ‘other’ pole and line caught skipjack prices, yellowfin price are basd on the Yaizu purse seine caught yellowfin price and albacore prices are based on Thai frozen albacore import prices. For all other pole and line fleets all prices are based on Thai import prices. 
* Troll and other gears prices: Based on Thai import prices. 

High seas codes:

I1 Doughnut hole between PNG and FSM
I2 Doughnut hole between FSM, Solomons, Kiribati, Marshall Is. Nauru, Tuvalu
I3 International waters east of the Philippines to Guam, above FSM, around Marshalls, up to 20°N and west of 175°E (not including areas I1, I2 and I8)
I4 International waters east of Marshall Islands and Kiribati, from the equator up to 20°N and east of 175°E to 170°W
I5 International waters around Line Group from the equator up to 20°N, east of 170°W to 150°W, and south of the equator to 20°S from 155°W-130°W
I6 The reminder of International waters not covered above in the Northern hemisphere of the WCP-CA
I7 The reminder of International waters not covered above in the Southern hemisphere of the WCP-CA
I8 International waters bordered by Fiji, Solomon Is and Vanuatu
I9 International waters between the Cook Islands and French Polynesia
H4 International waters between Tuvalu, Phoenix and Tokelau, from the equator down to 10°S and east of 175°E to 170°W
H5 International waters between Phoenix and Line Groups, from the equator down to 10°S, east of 170°W to 155°W (excludes IW between CK and PF = Area "I9")

Caution should be used in interpreting the statistics presented; in particular, catch estimates for 2009 are preliminary in particular for the longlines. FFA takes due care to ensure that no errors occur in transcribing the data obtained from SPC into the spreadsheets presented, however, such errors may exist.