Tuna Wars: How the Pacific Is Tackling Illegal Fishing in the Region

Tuna is widely described as the "backbone" of the Pacific, central to economic stability and food security in the region. The multibillion-dollar industry produces more than half of the world's catch, but it's also being exploited.

Journalist Jennifer Scherer investigates how illegal and unregulated vessels are trawling the Western and Central Pacific Ocean and poaching tuna stocks, some from the exclusive economic zones of Pacific Island nations, which stretch hundreds of nautical miles.

Based out of the Fisheries Surveillance Centre in Honiara, this series shows how Pacific-led monitoring, control, and surveillance measures are evolving to respond to this threat. Tracking the fleet through satellite monitoring, this project also gives a rare behind-the-scenes insight into a major regional surveillance operation, involving air patrols and vessel boarding to protect vital marine resources.

Scherer's storytelling weaves data with human stories, also shining a light on the deaths at sea of Pacific fisheries observers, tasked with monitoring catch limits while aboard international vessels. Some families of observers lost at sea as well as ex-observers have raised concerns about the safety and vulnerability of workers. This series examines whether the rollout of new electronic monitoring systems could serve as a viable solution.

Climate forecasts also suggest tuna populations in the Pacific will decline by 30% in the next 25 years. Showcasing local-led solutions, audiences are invited to join local fishers as they use and share cultural knowledge and traditional methods to survive, rebuild the reef, and protect fragile ocean ecosystems.