Comparison of Tuna Harvest methods in Iran

Different harvest methods applied to catch tuna species in Iran. These methods are respectively ranked as below: -Gill-net-Long-line-Purse-seine-TrollingGill-net has a long history in tuna fisheries and has been used since local fishermen exploited dhows. Despite all extension measures applied to modify fishing methods, about 93% of tuna is currently harvested by gillnet fisheries. Long-line fisheries practically has been started about three years ago and has been gradually expanded with steady gillnet decline. Purse-seine fisheries have been also established from almost 30 years ago and each recent year 5 vessels are active in this type of fisheries. Trolling has also used as a tuna fishing method by vessels with less than 3 Mt. during some seasons of year. In current article, catch composition and Catch per unit effort (CPUE) of each method has been compared and with analyzing each method, technical and social considerations are assessed to predict development trends of every single tuna harvest method in Iran.