PFMC, WCPFC, IATTC Influence Aquaculture Opportunity Area Planning for Tuna

Regional management processes are converging with emerging Aquaculture Opportunity Area planning at a time when both policy and industry interest are rising. The article examines how regional management processes (PFMC, WCPFC/IATTC intersessionals, and national/state processes) intersect with emerging aquaculture opportunity area planning. This matters to West Coast fishers because decisions at those meetings and at the state level will influence where and how aquaculture development moves forward in waters used by tuna.

The meeting schedule for 2026 includes several important meetings focusing on the management of Northern Pacific Bluefin tuna and the Northern Albacore Tuna. Both species are caught in the waters off California, Oregon, and Washington, and coordination at the international and regional level affects stock assessments, catch limits, and harvest opportunities that commercial and recreational fleets rely on. The coordination of the tuna species is managed by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), with involvement from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) as well.

Last month, the Pacific Fisheries Management Council (PFMC) held its quarterly meeting in Costa Mesa, California. The weeklong meetings are designed to engage fishing industry interests, with participation from commercial and recreational fishermen, fish processors, tribal members, environmental and community representatives, consumers, and the general public. I’ve had the honor of participating in the PFMC process since 2022, when I began serving on the Highly Migratory Species Advisory Subpanel (HMSAS), and the council floor remains a place where local fishery concerns meet regional policy choices.

California has likewise identified some aquaculture opportunities in oceanic plots offshore of Santa Barbara and Santa Monica. Those identified plots are already folding into broader discussions shaped by the current administration’s policy direction. The Executive Order titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness” is specifically calling on the USA to develop an America First Seafood Strategy. The administration’s aims include language to “promote production, marketing, sale, and export of United States fishery and aquaculture products” and to “strengthen domestic processing capacity.” The Executive Order places aquaculture as a top priority for advancing the production of seafood domestically.

For tuna fishers and coastal communities, the practical stakes are straightforward: international meeting outcomes and federal policy priorities influence fishing opportunity, market dynamics, and the timeline and location of proposed AOAs. PFMC deliberations, WCPFC and IATTC intersessionals, and California’s marine planning will each feed into decisions on siting, permits, and environmental review for offshore aquaculture.

Photo credits cited in source material include: “Pacific Bluefin tuna: Photo credit: Adobe Stock [...] Sustainable Fishmonger” and “Pacific Bluefin Tuna – Photo credit – NOAA.” Verify which image will run and confirm the correct credit. Expect more detail as the 2026 meeting schedule fills out and as state agencies release specifics on the Santa Barbara and Santa Monica plots; follow-up will be needed on exact meeting dates, AOA coordinates, and permitting timelines so fishers and coastal communities can prepare.