Examining indicators of effort creep in the WCPO purse seine fishery

Effort creep has implications for maintaining stocks around target reference points, and can affect vessel profits. A better understanding of effort creep, and identification of both indicators that reflect it and mechanisms through which managers can appropriately adjust for its impacts, are needed. This paper summarises trends in potential effort creep indicators for the tropical purse seine fishery, and their suitability for adjusting WCPO effort limits (Table 1). The majority of indicators have shown increases over the recent period within the WCPO when examined both within and outside PNA EEZs.