Abstract

The tuna purse seine fishery is a large-scale fishery in the Colombian Pacific Ocean (CPO). This study aims to perform a descriptive and spatiotemporal analysis of the purse-seine tuna fishery in the CPO to provide new knowledge and alternatives for its domestic management. Georeferenced data (2000 – 2019) allowed the analysis by species, vessel carrying capacity, and fishing method. Yellowfin Tuna-YFT (Thunnus albacares) and Skipjack Tuna-SKJ (Katsuwonus pelamis) were the most captured species. The Not Associated method (NoAs) was mostly used in the first decade, while the method associated with Dolphins (DEL) was mainly used in the second. The natural floating objects method (NAT) was the least used method, while the fish aggregating device method (FAD) was the most used. There was no clear annual catch pattern with discrete peaks in May and October. The average number of sets per year was 1,230, and only 8.7% of the tuna was captured by the Colombian tuna fleet in the CPO. Capture per Unit Effort oscillated from 14.9 to 27.2 t/effective set/year. The spatiotemporal analysis showed four main fishing grounds; YFT was mainly fished in the northwestern zone and near the coast, while SKJ was captured in almost all CPO; the main fishing activity is performed by the largest vessels, showing significantly higher tuna catches. The DEL method is used mainly in the central area and towards the coast, while FAD is used in most of the CPO. It is important to work on the FAD regulation, small tuna discards, increase the fishing observer coverage, satellite, and on-the-field vessel monitoring, and characterize environmental conditions related to tuna fishing. Furthermore, tuna fishing should be considered in the initiatives to establish new protected areas in the CPO.