Nine islands that control the majority of tuna in the western and central Pacific are meeting over the next two weeks to focus on tuna management issues in the region.
The annual officials meeting of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement begins in the Marshall Islands capital Majuro today.
The PNA controls the world's largest sustainable tuna purse-seine fishery.
tuna on the deck of a Pacific fishing vessel Photo: Giff Johnson
Its meeting is expected to endorse recommendations for action by government ministers who will meet in Majuro in two months time.
Members will look at how to implement calls to ban high-sea bunkering of fishing vessels by requiring refuelling in ports or designated zones.
Other issues on the table include include fishery observer safety and management programmes, progress on implementing the Vessel Day Scheme for the longline industry, developments of information management systems and reviewing the status of tuna stocks.