Albacore tuna stocks have dropped to a level which makes it uneconomic for the local industry to fish.
Foreign boats, especially those from China that receive fuel subsidies that the Pacific boats do not get, are still viable.
For the past decade they have been driving the Pacific fleet out of business.
Tonga and other FFA countries asked the Tuna Commission to set a target catch for albacore as the first step towards a harvest strategy that would put the fishery back on an economically sustainable footing.