Major commercial special are albacore,bluefin,bigeye, yellow-fin,bonito and skipjack

Major tuna fishing ground of the world, the Pacific island region has slowly begun to flex its muscles, and processors in other parts of the world are finally beginning to notice. Only 3 per cent of the world fish catch in weight, tuna - major commercial species are albacore, bluefin, bigeye, yellowfin, bonito and skipjack - nevertheless constitutes a major marine source of food and one of the sea's most valuable living resources. Of the estimated total catch of 1.5 million tones in 1992, over 1 million originated in the Western Pacific fishery region (geographically the west and the south Pacific Ocean). The region continues to meet much of the annual world demand for canning- grade tuna - over 60 per cent - and about 80 per cent of Japan's demand for fresh tuna, according to a paper presented during the Third INFO-FISH Tuna Trade Conference in Bangkok in 1993.

In Thailand, the Western Pacific supplies over half the 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes of skipjack and yellowfish local processors require annually, says Tim Real, General Manager of the Thailand Representative Office of Trimarine supplied 20 per cent to the Thai market in 1994. The Indian Ocean takes second place.

In the Western Pacific, fleets from the US, Taiwan and Korean carry out 90 per cent of the fishing, according to Mr. Real. Taiwan and Korean, the countries that probably started transshipment to save fuel, fish extensively in the Western Pacific, where rich fishing grounds are close to each other.

Purse seiners, tuna fishing boats that dominate the industry, usually make five trips a year, catching 5,000 to 6,000 tons of fish per trip. A boat captain who wishes to maximize the benefits of a trip may transship. If he has sufficient fuel and supplies, he can choose to unload a catch onto a carrier at sea, then return to his fishing, instead of leaving the fishing ground to unload at port before returning for another round.

The carrier transports the catch to a port, while the boat captain travels to and from the carrier and the fishing ground. The carrier stays wherever it is convenient for the team of boats to unload the brine-frozen catch from their fish holds onto the carrier and then go back to set their nets. Once the carrier is filled to capacity, it returns to port.