Two realities in the Portuguese tuna fishery: What happens in the largest EEZ of European Union?

Tuna stocks are of highest importance because of their large volume of catches, high economic value, and extensive international trade, supporting one of the largest fisheries in the world. Atlantic tunas are regulated by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), whose assessments underpin the scientific advice for management. Portugal is one of the top ten countries that have been contributing to the total landings of Atlantic tunas, historically targeting several tuna species and having two different fishing realities. It is one of the countries authorized to farm the world's most valuable fish and also considered within the ten most important areas for tuna caught by pole-and-line, a highly sustainable fishing gear. Holding the largest Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the European Union (EU), the need to contextualize this fishery is of huge importance. Despite the general lack of information available about tuna fishery in Portugal, the present work represents the first comprehensive review of this Portuguese reality. Landings of most important tuna species have been analysed since 1993, presenting and describing the two different realities for the first time, pointing knowledge gaps, and sparking some future research directions to be applied regionally and globally. It is of upmost importance to leverage other relevant and necessary studies to support the knowledge and management of these ecological, social and economic resources.