Source: Radio Australia

New research shows the tuna catch in the Pacific hit another record high in 2009.

Research presented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community at a meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission in Tonga shows more than 2.4 million tons of tuna were caught in the Pacific in 2009.

The number was 70,000 more than 2008¡¯s record catch.

Japan and Fiji expressed concern about the stocks of skipjack tuna - widely regarded as the species least under threat.

Secretariat of the Pacific scientist, Shelton Harley, says the research shows -for the first time- that fishing is starting to impact on the abundance of skipjack. 

"In the key part of the fishery it looks as though the fishery has reduced the population by about 50 per cent," he said.

Dr Harley says stocks of bigeye and yellowfin tuna are more severely reduced.