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ISSF Adds New Board Member; Two Fisheries Experts Appointed to ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today recent appointments to its Board of Directors and Environmental Stakeholder Committee.

ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC) elected Bill Holden of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) its Chair. In that role, he also joins the ISSF Board of Directors, replacing long-time Board member Dr. Bill Fox, formerly of WWF-US, who recently retired.  

We're honored to welcome Bill Holden of @MSCecolabel to our Board — and Sara Lewis of @FishWiseOrg & Tom Pickerell of @GlobalTuna to our Environmental Stakeholder Committee. Click To Tweet

“The leadership and expertise displayed by Dr. Bill Fox, both as a member of the ISSF Board and the Environmental Stakeholder Committee, as well as a partner at WWF, has been invaluable,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “We are thankful for Bill’s guidance and commitment to ISSF and our collaborative work toward sustainable tuna fisheries and ocean health.” 

In addition, Sara Lewis of FishWise and Dr. Tom Pickerell of the Global Tuna Alliance have joined the ESC.

“It’s always a pleasure to have new experts and advocates join our committees. These additions are serious assets to our conservation initiatives,” Jackson said. “Bill Holden joining the ISSF Board of Directors as Chair of our ESC is notable. It is the result of an enhancement in ISSF governance: the ESC elects its chair and that chairperson is then elevated to an additional leadership role as a member of the ISSF Board. Bill is well suited for this newly expanded role.” 

Jackson added, “Sara Lewis’ devotion to transparency and traceability at FishWise makes her an ideal candidate for the ESC. And we welcome Dr. Tom Pickerell’s scientific guidance and collaboration once again as he returns to the ESC in his new role leading the Global Tuna Alliance.” 

Dr. Bruce Collette, from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), retired from the ESC in January. He had been with the committee since its inception.

“Dr. Collette worked with ISSF on the ESC since the beginning,” Jackson added. “His fisheries expertise made him an invaluable asset to the committee, where his passion for tuna conservation is dearly missed.”

About the New Members of the ISSF Board and ESC

Bill Holden is the Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager for the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), a global fisheries certification and ecolabel program. He began working with the MSC in February 2009 and is based in Sydney, Australia. His work involves outreach in the Pacific and Indian Oceans with a focus on tuna fisheries. Holden has a wealth of experience in fisheries management thanks to more than 20 years as an owner, operator and skipper of snapper and tuna longliners in the Kingdom of Tonga. During that time, he was the President of the Fishing Industry Association of Tonga (FIAT) and a director of the Pacific Islands Tuna Industry Association (PITIA). Mr. Holden graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a B.A. in Political Science and Communications.

Sara Lewis directs the Traceability Division at FishWise, overseeing a team implementing traceability and counter-IUU fishing projects with NGO and seafood industry collaborators from all parts of the supply chain. She also leads FishWise’s work relating to government policies such as the Seafood Import Monitoring Program (SIMP) and has published peer-reviewed papers on traceability and social responsibility in seafood. Previously, Lewis studied how third-party eco-certification impacts the environmental performance of multinational seafood firms. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz, and two master’s degrees in environmental studies from Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand and the University of California, Santa Cruz. 

Dr. Tom Pickerell is a marine biologist with nearly 20 years’ experience in seafood sustainability. Pickerell is Executive Director of the Global Tuna Alliance, an independent group of retailers and supply-chain companies, working to ensure that tuna ultimately meets the highest standards of environmental performance and social responsibility. Previously, he was the Global Tuna Director for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), leading SFP’s fresh & frozen and canned tuna programs. He has also worked for Seafish, the UK Seafood Industry Authority; at the Seafood Watch program at Monterey Bay Aquarium; and at the Shellfish Association of Great Britain (SAGB), among other organizations. Pickerell has a degree in Marine Biology, a master’s degree in Analytical Biology, and a Ph.D. in shellfish aquaculture.

About the ISSF Board of Directors & Environmental Stakeholder Committee

The ISSF Board of Directors is a global and diverse group of leaders from non-governmental organizations, marine science, government agencies, and the seafood industry. In addition to fiduciary and governance responsibilities, ISSF Board members advance the mission of the Foundation, including through the adoption of ISSF conservation measures, to which ISSF participating companies commit to conform. 

The ISSF Board members are: 

  • Dr. Transform Aqorau, Pacific Fisheries Expert and former CEO, Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA)
  • John Connelly, President, National Fisheries Institute
  • Dr. Rohan Currey, Chief Science and Standards Officer, Marine Stewardship Council
  • Dr. Giuseppe Di Carlo, Lead Conservationist, WWF-International
  • Javier Garat, Secretary General, Cepesca
  • Bill Holden, Chair, ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee and Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
  • Susan Jackson, President, ISSF
  • Ichiro Nomura, Fisheries Policy Advisor to the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Republic of Indonesia
  • Luciano Pirovano, ISSF Board Chair and Bolton Food Sustainable Development Director
  • Dr. Victor Restrepo, Vice President, Science, ISSF 
  • Dr. Martin Tsamenyi, Professor of Law & Former Director of the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources & Security (ANCORS), University of Wollongong, Australia

The Board receives information from formal and informal partners — environmental stakeholders, marine scientists, fishers, and vessel owners — who share insights from the field. The ESC comprises expert representatives from various conservation and scientific bodies who volunteer to share their expertise. The ESC, as does ISSF’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), provides advice to the ISSF Board of Directors on issues to consider before taking action on specific sustainability efforts, including regarding ISSF conservation measures.

The ESC Board members are: 

  • Sonja Fordham, Shark Advocates International
  • Eric Gilman, The Nature Conservancy
  • Bill Holden, Chair, ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee | Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
  • Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch
  • Sara Lewis, FishWise
  • Alexia Morgan, Science Lead for Tuna and Large Pelagic Species, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)
  • Tom Pickerell, Global Tuna Alliance

ISSF Annual Report Shows 99.1% Participating Company Conformance Rate with Science-based Conservation Measures, Highlights 2019 Efforts for Sustainable Tuna Fisheries

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its 2019 annual report today, titled Commitment and Collaboration, which presents tuna-fishery sustainability achievements in the organization’s 10th anniversary year.

“From the beginning, ISSF’s tuna conservation work has required a one-world, one-planet perspective — and a consensus-building approach, as challenging as that is for any complex issue,” explains ISSF President Susan Jackson in the report. “The ISSF team has long appreciated that solving environmental problems means reaching across continents in the spirit of goodwill to share scientific information and resources, learn from each other’s insights and experiences, and make steady progress for the common good.”

ISSF's 2019 annual report includes video content, month-by-month highlights, and features on bio-#FAD research, #FIP outreach, and more. Click To Tweet

Commitment and Collaboration focuses on ISSF’s collaborations to identify and promote “best practices” in tuna and ocean conservation with fishers, tuna companies, retailers, and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). The report also covers ISSF’s activities with environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), scientific agencies and more.

Report Highlights

The interactive annual report, which includes video content and downloadable graphics, offers special features on:

  • Biodegradable Fish Aggregating Device (bio-FAD) research
  • Fishery Improvement Project (FIP) outreach
  • Tuna stock status based on catch and abundance
  • RFMO proposals and policy changes aligned with ISSF advocacy priorities

A “Highlights” section shows ISSF’s 2019 milestones month by month, including:

  • The International Workshop on Mitigating Environmental Impacts of Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries, co-sponsored by ISSF and the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project 
  • Collaborating on and promoting the NGO Tuna Forum’s first collaboratively authored “best practices” guides — on FAD management and transshipment — for RFMOs, FIPs, fisheries, and other stakeholders
  • New members on the Board of Directors
  • An updated Guide to Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs, addressing bio-FAD designs and materials for the first time
  • The first ISSF Seafood Sustainability Contest, whose winners were announced in March 2020

The report also includes messages from ISSF Board Chair Luciano Pirovano and retired ISSF Board Vice Chair Dr. Bill Fox; Board, committee, and staff lists; and a financial overview.

Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report

The annual report also links to the organization’s latest ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report. The compliance report shows a conformance rate of 99.1 percent by 25 ISSF participating companies as of March 31, 2020. 

The compliance report tracks ISSF participating companies’ progress in conforming with measures like these:

As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to audit ISSF participating companies to assess their compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. MRAG Americas conducts independent auditing based on a rigorous audit protocol.

In addition to a summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that document in detail each organization’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual company compliance reports on its website.

Becoming Certified: How Tropical Tuna Purse-Seine and Longline Fisheries Can Achieve MSC Standards

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has updated two comprehensive reports that share recommendations for both purse seine and longline fisheries pursuing Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

ISSF 2020-11: Recommended Best Practices for Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries in Transition to MSC Certification, with an Emphasis on FADs and ISSF 2020-10: Recommended Best Practices for Tuna Longline Fisheries in Transition to MSC Certification are based on Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fishery-certification standards and organized by MSC principles and performance indicators. They are intended to be used as practical resources for purse-seine and longline fisheries in Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) to address problems, close gaps, and earn MSC certification. They can also be used by already-certified fisheries that have Conditions that need to be remedied.

Download our reports summarizing best practices that #purse #seine and #longline #fisheries should follow to pursue @MSCecolabel certification. Click To Tweet

“Helping all tuna fisheries to be sustainable and meet MSC certification standards without conditions is ISSF’s ultimate objective,” said ISSF Vice President of Science Victor Restrepo. “Because FIPs are so instrumental in that process, ISSF emphasizes tools and resources, along with scientific expertise and RFMO advocacy, to support those improvement projects. We believe these reports can be useful both for the 45-plus tuna FIPs currently active worldwide, as well as aspiring FIPs that are beginning to take the necessary steps to commence.” 

The purse seine report summarizes science-based best practices for tropical tuna purse-seine fisheries that make both fish aggregating device (FAD) sets and free-swimming school sets. The longline report summarizes recommended best practices for tuna longline fisheries that aim to participate in Fishery Improvement Programs (FIPs) with the objective of achieving MSC certification. 

In both reports, the recommended practices are linked to MSC Fishery Certification Requirements including suggested examples for concrete actions that the fleets can implement. 

Best Practices in Purse Seine Fishing

ISSF Technical Report 2020-11 references requirements from Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and presents best practices gleaned from ISSF at-sea research, skippers workshops, and other resources.

Regarding FAD use, the complementary ISSF Technical Report 2019-11: Recommended Best Practices for FAD Management in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries sets out specific actions with regard to FAD use, in purse seine fisheries in transition to MSC certification. ISSF Technical Report 2020-11 builds upon that paper to include those FAD-specific actions as well as necessary actions in other areas of purse seine fishing activity. The high level best practices included in ISSF Technical Report 2020-11 include:

  • Complying with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements for fisheries statistics by set type
  • Voluntarily reporting additional FAD buoy data for use by RFMO science bodies
  • Supporting science-based limits on the overall number of FADs used per vessel and/or FAD sets made
  • Using only non-entangling FADs to reduce ghost fishing
  • Mitigating other environmental impacts due to FAD loss including through the use of biodegradable FADs and FAD recovery policies
  • For silky sharks (the main bycatch issue in FAD sets), implementing further mitigation efforts
  • Adopting a detailed Bycatch Policy and Code of Good Practice including:
    • Best practices for handling and safe-release of other bycatch species
    • Retention and utilization of catch unless prohibited
    • Ensuring that shark finning is not taking place
  • Complying thoroughly with existing RFMO measures and recommendations on target and non-target species, demonstrating compliance with existing national or RFMO measures

Best Practices in Longline Fishing

ISSF Technical Report 2020-10 for longline tuna fisheries identifies high-level best practice elements and potential actions to become MSC certified:

  • Comply with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements for fisheries statistics on target and non-target species
  • Voluntarily provide historical and current operational data and information beyond minimum requirements for improved stock assessment and ecosystem impacts characterization
  • Support science-based fishing effort and/or catch limitation measures for LL and other fleets to ensure stocks are maintained around MSY levels
  • Address ecosystem impact and bycatch issues, particularly interactions with ETP species, by adopting a detailed Bycatch Policy and Code of Good Practice, including: 100% of observer coverage; Best practices for handling and safe-release of bycatch species; and Implementation of proven mitigation measures and/or gear modification
  • Ensure that shark finning is not taking place
  • Implement transshipment monitoring best practices
  • Comply thoroughly with existing RFMO measures and recommendations on target and non-target species, demonstrating compliance with existing national or RFMO measures

84% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels, While 15% Require Stronger Management

Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 84% came from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the March 2020 International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 15% of the total tuna catch was from overfished stocks, and 1% was from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance. The previous version of this report was released by ISSF in October 2019.

In 2018, the catch of major commercial #tuna stocks was 5.1 million tonnes, more than half of which was #skipjack tuna. Click To Tweet

Several tuna stocks worldwide are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:

  • The Atlantic Ocean bigeye, Eastern Pacific yellowfin, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Pacific bluefin tuna stocks are currently overfished and subject to overfishing.
  • Overfishing is occurring as well on three other stocks: Eastern Pacific bigeye, Indian Ocean bigeye and Indian Ocean albacore.
  • All skipjack and most albacore stocks are healthy.

Ratings for the following species have changed since last reported in October:

  • The Spawning Biomass (SSB) ratio for Atlantic Ocean yellowfin has improved from yellow to green.
  • The fishing mortality rate ratio for Indian Ocean bigeye has downgraded from green to orange.
  • The fishing mortality ratio for Indian Ocean albacore has downgraded from green to orange.

ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report twice each year using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks.

Key Statistics in the Report

  • Abundance or “spawning biomass” levels: Globally, 65% of the 23 stocks are at healthy levels of abundance, 17.5% are overfished and 17.5% are at an intermediate level.
  • Fishing mortality levels: 70% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate, and 30% are experiencing overfishing.
  • Total catch: In 2018, the catch of major commercial tuna stocks was 5.1 million tonnes. 58% was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (29%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (4%). Bluefin tunas accounted for 1% of the global catch.
  • Largest tuna catches by stock: The five largest catches in tonnes, unchanged since the previous report, are Western Pacific Ocean skipjack, Western Pacific Ocean yellowfin, Indian Ocean skipjack, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack.
  • Tuna production by fishing gear: 66% of the catch is made by purse seining, followed by longline (10%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous gears (12%). These percentages changed minimally since the previous report.

The Status of the Stocks report is reviewed by the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides advice on its content. The report does not advocate any particular seafood purchase decisions.

About the Report

There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. The Status of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated several times per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality) and Environmental Impact (bycatch).

ISSF produces two reports annually that seek to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks: the Status of the Stocks provides a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report. Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.

In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. The “Interactive Stock Status Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page

ISSF Report: 15 Tuna Stocks Not Meeting Criteria for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Sustainability Standard

Independent fisheries scientists in a March 2020 report from the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) found that four out of 19 major commercial tuna stocks worldwide are being managed to avoid overfishing and to maintain target stock biomass levels: North Atlantic Albacore, Western Pacific Skipjack, South Pacific Albacore, and Indian Ocean Skipjack. These four stocks earned a passing score against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard on its Principle 1 on “Sustainable Fish Stocks.”

There are 19 commercial #tuna stocks worldwide. Four are being managed to prevent #overfishing. Click To Tweet

MSC is an independent, international, non-profit organization that oversees a program to assess wild-capture fisheries and certify them as “sustainable” if they meet its Fisheries Standard criteria. In the January 2019 edition of the ISSF report, five stocks passed Principle 1 (Eastern Pacific Yellowfin no longer does).

ISSF 2020-09: An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Criteria attributes 15 other tuna stocks’ inability to pass MSC Principle 1 to poor stock status, the lack of well-defined harvest control rules (HCRs), and the lack of effective tools to control harvest.

Notable Report Findings

One of the 19 stocks — North Pacific Albacore — triggered the implementation of well-defined HCRs, and there has been some HCR progress on other tuna stocks by all tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). RFMOs are governing bodies whose member nations are responsible for setting catch limits, monitoring the health of stocks, and regulating the right to fish. However, HCRs often have not been implemented until rebuilding is required.

  • Atlantic Ocean Yellowfin’s Principle 1 score improved since the last reporting period, but the scores of Indian Ocean Bigeye and Indian Ocean Albacore both declined. However, data on the latter has improved in quality and should be sufficient to support a harvest strategy.
  • Uncertainty in assessments remains a concern in the Eastern Pacific, as the 2019 stock assessment of Eastern Pacific Yellowfin found inadequacies in both the model and data, which hinders stock management advice and harvest control rule actions. 

ISSF’s report was authored by Paul A. H. Medley, Jo Gascoigne, and Jo Akroyd.

About the Report

An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks takes a consistent, comprehensive approach to scoring tuna stocks against certain components of the MSC standard. The MSC is a global certification program for fisheries.

The report — updated regularly since it was first published in 2013, and conveniently organized by individual tuna stock and tuna RFMO — is designed to:

  • Provide a basis for comparing between stock scores and tuna RFMO scores as assessed by the same experts
  • Become a useful source document for future tuna certifications or in the establishment of tuna Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs)
  • Prioritize ISSF projects and advocacy efforts against initiatives that will improve low performance indicator scores

The scores in the report focus on stock status (MSC Principle 1) and the international management aspects relevant to RFMOs (part of MSC Principle 3) and are based on publicly available fishery and RFMO data. Each of these Principles is evaluated in relationship to Performance Indicators (PIs) within each Principle. The Evaluation report also includes detailed remarks on each stock, evaluations of the four RFMOs, and comprehensive reference citations.

The report does not address bluefin tuna stocks.

MSC Principle 1

The MSC Principle 1 states: “A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to over-fishing or depletion of the exploited populations and, for those populations that are depleted, the fishery must be conducted in a manner that demonstrably leads to their recovery.”

Regarding stocks receiving passing scores:

  • Among seven tuna stocks in the Atlantic Ocean, one received an overall principle-level passing score: Northern Albacore.
  • Among eight tuna stocks in the Pacific Ocean, two received overall principle-level passing scores: Western Skipjack and Southern Albacore.
  • Among four stocks in the Indian Ocean, one received an overall principle-level passing score: Skipjack.

Regarding stocks receiving failing scores:

  • In the Pacific, six stocks received overall principle-level failing scores: Western Yellowfin, Eastern Yellowfin, Northern Albacore, Eastern Bigeye, Eastern Skipjack and Western Bigeye.
  • In the Indian Ocean, Yellowfin, Bigeye and Albacore all received overall principle-level failing scores.
  • In the Atlantic, Yellowfin, Bigeye, Western Skipjack, Eastern Skipjack, Southern Albacore and Mediterranean Albacore all received principle-level failing scores.
  • The two stocks that require rebuilding are Atlantic Bigeye and Indian Ocean Yellowfin.

See a graphic showing MSC Principle 1 averages from February 2013-March 2020.

MSC Principle 3

The MSC Principle 3 states: “The fishery is subject to an effective management system that respects local, national and international laws and standards and incorporates institutional and operational frameworks that require use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable.”

One tuna RFMO — the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) — received unconditional passing scores for all seven performance indicators under Principle 3.

All four RFMOs received overall principle-level passing scores from the authors.

See a graphic showing MSC Principle 3 averages from December 2013-March 2020.

While the report focuses on tuna stock status and sustainability as well as on RFMO policies, it does not address national or bilateral fishing jurisdictions, gear- or fleet-specific ecosystem impacts, or specific fisheries’ ecosystems — all of which are also considered within the MSC assessment methodology.

Since 2011, ISSF has been an active stakeholder in MSC tuna fishery assessments and certifications. ISSF’s strategic objective is to develop and implement verifiable, science-based practices, commitments and international management measures to help all tuna fisheries become capable of meeting the MSC certification standard without conditions.

ISSF Awards Grand Prize in Seafood Sustainability Contest

Doctoral student Melissa Cronin of the University of California, Santa Cruz, is the Grand Prize winner in ISSF’s International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Seafood Sustainability Contest. She wins for her contest entry, “Incentivizing Collaborative Release to Reduce Elasmobranch Bycatch Mortality,” which proposes handling-and-release methods that purse-seine vessel skippers and crew can use to reduce the mortality of manta rays and devil rays incidentally caught during tuna fishing. Ms. Cronin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Conservation Action Lab at UC Santa Cruz studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Learn more about her research experiences and winning idea.

ISSF Awards Grand Prize in Seafood Sustainability Contest

Doctoral student Melissa Cronin of the University of California, Santa Cruz, is the Grand Prize winner in ISSF’s International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Seafood Sustainability Contest. She receives a $45,000 prize from ISSF for her contest entry, “Incentivizing Collaborative Release to Reduce Elasmobranch Bycatch Mortality,” which proposes handling-and-release methods that purse-seine vessel skippers and crew can use to reduce the mortality of manta rays and devil rays incidentally caught during tuna fishing.

Congratulations to our #Seafood #Sustainability Contest winners Melissa Cronin and Guillermo Ortuno Crespo. Click To Tweet
Melissa Cronin
Grand Prize winner Melissa Cronin. Photo by Carolyn Lagatutta

Her winning proposal calls for cooperative workshops with purse-seine skippers and observers, offering financial rewards for the design, testing, and onboard implementation of feasible, scalable techniques for safely removing rays from vessel decks.

It also includes training observers in tagging rays to track their post-release survival. Rays, in addition to sharks, are the species groups most vulnerable in the purse-seine fishery. In the Indian Ocean, for example, rays comprise the majority of bycatch in tuna fishers’ free-school sets: bycatch overall on such sets represents 0.9% of the total catch, and 34% of that is rays.

 

Ms. Cronin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Conservation Action Lab at UC Santa Cruz studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. Learn more about her research experiences and winning idea in her ISSF blog post and video.

In addition to the $40,000 Grand Prize, the award includes a trip, with an estimated $5,000 value, to a tuna event. ISSF will arrange for Ms. Cronin to present her proposal at a Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) event this year.

Winning Proposal Builds on ISSF Scientist-Fisher Collaboration

Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF Vice President, Science and Chair of the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), led the contest’s judging panel. “Through this competition, we’re pleased to reward promising research ideas from up-and-coming marine and fisheries scientists,” he commented. “Ms. Cronin’s thoughtful proposal is based on collaborative problem-solving between fishers and scientists — a successful model ISSF follows in our Skippers Workshops worldwide. Our workshops have focused on finding new approaches in tuna fisheries to protect sharks and other non-tuna species, for example.”

The judging panel evaluated contest entries on the following criteria: originality, conservation impact, impact on skipjack catches, degree to which idea has been tested, feasibility of industry-wide implementation, and cost effectiveness. In addition to Dr. Restrepo, the panel included Dr. Josu Santiago, AZTI; Dr. Laurent Dagorn, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD); Dr. Gala Moreno, ISSF Science Consultant; and Miguel Herrera, OPAGAC Scientist.

Runner-Up Prize Winning Entry Focuses on Oceanic Sharks

Guillermo Ortuno Crespo, a researcher at the Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab at Duke University, receives a $10,000 prize as the contest Runner-up Winner for his proposal, “Dynamic Habitat Predictions of Two Bycaught Oceanic Shark Species.” His proposal focuses on predicting the dynamic, spatial distribution of non-target and sometimes target species based on their environmental preferences.

Mr. Crespo’s study explores the dynamic habitats of Carcharhinus longimanus and C. falciformis in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) region, to help predict where fisher-shark bycatch interactions are likely to occur.

The ISSF Seafood Sustainability Contest  commemorated ISSF’s first “Decade of Discovery” (2009-2019), which has been marked by productive partnerships with marine scientists, seafood companies, vessels, Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), charitable foundations, retailers, and fellow NGOs.