SPC to Host Twentieth Tuna Data Workshop in Nadi, Fiji in 2026

Twenty editions in, the Pacific Community's Tuna Data Workshop has become the cornerstone event for tuna data management across the region. TDW20, organized by SPC's Fisheries, Aquaculture and Marine Ecosystems programme, opened March 9 in Nadi, Fiji and runs through March 13.

The workshop brings together national fisheries data managers, scientists, and Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission member representatives from SPC member countries. That combination of roles is deliberate: TDW exists precisely to close the gap between raw catch data collected at the national level and the reporting obligations those countries must fulfill with the WCPFC. Getting that pipeline right matters, because WCPFC stock assessments for skipjack, bigeye, yellowfin, and albacore depend on the quality and completeness of what member countries submit.

The annual cadence of TDW reflects how ongoing that work is. Scientific tuna monitoring and data management capacity don't get built once and stay built; they require consistent reinforcement as fishing fleets evolve, reporting standards are updated, and new staff cycle through national fisheries agencies. Running the workshop every year gives SPC FAME a regular mechanism to address those gaps before they compound into reporting deficiencies.

For this year's iteration, SPC has made a range of supporting materials available through the workshop page, including the TDW20 draft agenda, a national report template, and the recommendations document carried over from TDW19. Participants also have access to the OFP YouTube tutorial channel, the Regional Tuna Data Manual, and an Artisanal ACE GitHub repository covering Part 1, its addendum, and artisanal data components. Workshop presentations and completed national reports are being made accessible as the event progresses.

Nadi serves as a practical host city for a Pacific-wide gathering of this kind, central enough to draw delegations from across the island nations whose waters sit within the WCPFC Convention Area. With the workshop now in its twentieth year, TDW has developed into a well-established institution within the regional fisheries calendar, one that quietly underpins the science that informs how Pacific tuna stocks are managed.