Managing fishing capacity in tuna regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs): Development and state of the art

► This article analyses the approaches developed by the tuna RFMOs to manage fishing capacity. ► The management actions have not effectively controlled fishing capacity expansion. ► Access rights, enforcement and aspirations for development are key issues in capacity management. ► Measures such as freezing, reducing or redistributing the fishing capacity are required. ► Joint RFMO initiatives play a key role in addressing the fishing capacity problem.