The current bigeye assessment indicates the stock is not in an overfished state although current fishing mortality rates are approaching or exceeding the overfishing benchmark. The current level of exploitation appears not to be sustainable in the long term, unless the high recent recruitment is maintained in the future. Lower future recruitment is a possibility if the recruitment trends for bigeye in the EPO are mirrored in the WCPO. Should recruitment fall to average levels, current catch levels would result in stock reductions to near and possibly below MSY-based reference points. Reduction of juvenile fishing mortality in the equatorial regions would have significant benefits for both the bigeye tuna stock and the longline fishery. On this basis, the SCTB recommended that, as a minimum measure, there be no further increase in the fishing mortality rate for bigeye tuna from the recent level.