Skip to main content

Author: svanouse

ICCAT Moves to Protect Atlantic Bigeye and Close Gaps in Monitoring and Data Collection

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

After a week of intense negotiations, 800 participants took decisive action at the close of this year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The Commission made important progress by acting to protect the region’s overfished bigeye tuna stock and to strengthen monitoring, control and data collection programs.

ICCAT Strengthens FAD Management and Observer Coverage

While reductions in the catch limits for bigeye in the new ICCAT tropical tuna conservation measure are interim and will be reviewed next year, the measure now also includes important FAD management elements for which ISSF and our stakeholders have long advocated.

These elements will help protect bigeye stocks, which are overfished in the Atlantic Ocean, and they include:

  • A two-month FAD closure in 2020 and a three-month FAD closure in 2021 throughout the Convention Area (ICCAT had previously only prohibited fishing with FADs during a two-month period in a limited part of its Convention Area)
  • A reduction of operational FAD buoys from 500 — the highest of all the tuna RFMOs — down to 300 by 2021

ICCAT also increased observer coverage for both purse seine and longline fleets, a development worthy of celebration. ICCAT has long required 100 percent observer coverage only on tropical tuna purse seiners during its time/area two-month FAD moratorium. And ICCAT’s science body has repeatedly highlighted that five percent observer coverage for longliners is inadequate to provide reasonable estimates of total bycatch. The lack of quality data from observer programs on catches and interactions with non-target species for both fisheries has undermined stock assessments, hindering scientific input for the development of effective conservation measures.

We are pleased that ICCAT began remedying this situation with decisions like these at this year’s meeting:

  • Requiring 100 percent observer coverage, year round, on purse seine vessels targeting tropical tunas
  • Increasing observer coverage on longline vessels over 20 meters to 10 percent in 2022
  • Requiring the development of minimum standards for electronic monitoring by 2021

Speaking of observers, another big win was ICCAT’s adoption of a measure protecting on-board human observers, joining the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in ensuring observers can perform their jobs in a safe, professional environment.

A final important accomplishment this year was the adoption of amendments to modernize the ICCAT Convention text. These amendments will strengthen ICCAT’s mandate and tools to sustainably manage not only the tuna resources of the Atlantic but also sharks and the broader marine ecosystem. And they will help ICCAT combat IUU activities and implement the precautionary approach to fisheries management.

Misses for At-sea Transshipment Reform and the Conservation of Turtles and Sharks

ISSF and our NGO partners have been advocating for stronger controls on the practice of at-sea transshipment. ICCAT’s regulation of at-sea transshipment does not follow best practices on these issues:

  • Time frames for seeking authorization to transship at sea
  • Requiring 100 percent observer coverage on both the carrier and fishing vessel
  • Widening data-sharing arrangements
  • Shorter deadlines for submitting completed transshipment declarations

Unfortunately, ICCAT again failed to take action to adopt these best practices and other necessary reforms to its rule regulating transshipment. The lack of action was due largely to opposition from three member nations that have collectively engaged in more than 90 percent of at-sea transshipments in the ICCAT Convention Area between 2018 and 2019. 

ICCAT also failed to adopt stronger measures to protect endangered and threatened sea turtles that are caught incidentally in longline fisheries. The adoption of a recommendation that would have implemented ICCAT’s own scientific advice on the use of large circle hooks or whole finfish bait in shallow-set longline fisheries (where research shows most sea turtle bycatch occurs) was blocked.

Lastly, ICCAT failed to adopt the advice of its scientific body to protect critically depleted and overfished Atlantic short-fin mako shark stocks. The current short-fin mako measure was extended, punting the issue once again to next year.

We hope you will join our efforts to continue to demand progress for Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries. More effort is needed to urge precautionary and science-based action at ICCAT. The Commission has set an ambitious agenda of intersessional work next year to address the issues on which no agreement could be found at this year’s meeting. ISSF will continue to work cooperatively with all ICCAT parties and with our diverse, multi-sector stakeholders throughout 2020 to ensure the enduring health of the tunas and ecosystems of the Atlantic Ocean.

Two Fisheries Science and Management Experts Appointed to ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today that Dr. Alexia Morgan of the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) and Bill Holden of the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) have joined the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC).

Meet our new Environmental Stakeholder Committee members: Dr. Alexia Morgan of @fishsource and Bill Holden of @MSCecolabel. Click To Tweet

Alexia Morgan, Ph.D., is the Science Lead for Tuna and Large Pelagic Species at the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP).  Dr. Morgan provides scientific and technical advice to producers and suppliers on key issues related to the fisheries they source from and ways in which they can improve these fisheries, including bycatch issues. In addition to these roles, Dr. Morgan conducts seafood assessments of tuna and large pelagic fisheries for SFP. Previously, Dr. Morgan was a Research Biologist at the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida and has worked as a consultant for various NGOs on a variety of elasmobranch-related issues. Outside of SFP, Dr. Morgan’s interests and research focus primarily on ecosystem impacts and spatial management of elasmobranch species in the Atlantic. Dr. Morgan has a Ph.D. in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences from the University of Florida and an M.S. in Marine Biology from Nova Southeastern University.

“Dr. Morgan’s hands-on experience with producers and suppliers coupled with an impressive scientific background will be a significant asset for our team. Her position on the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee continues ISSF’s long-time engagement with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson.

Mr. Bill Holden is the Senior Fisheries Manager, Oceania & South East Asia, 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 the Sydney office. His work involves fisheries outreach in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, with a focus on tuna fisheries. Mr. Holden has a wealth of experience in fisheries management from 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).  Along with his vast industry experience and knowledge of fishing and marketing operations, Mr. Holden’s work in associations provides him with an understanding of regional management, and he maintains an extensive Pacific network of colleagues, associates and friends. Mr. Holden graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1984 with a B.A. in Political Science and Communications.

“ISSF’s objective is for all tuna fisheries to be capable of achieving MSC certification without conditions. Having regular representation from MSC on ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee has been important for ISSF,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “As our newest ESC member from MSC, Bill brings regional management experience and expertise in the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean that is especially vital to our collaborative work. We look forward to his advice and counsel, especially in that critical part of the tuna-fishing world.” 

About the Environmental Stakeholder Committee

The ISSF 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 that ISSF Participating Companies commit to conform to with the goal of improving the long-term health of global tuna fisheries.

Latest ISSF Participating Tuna Company Compliance Report Shows 99 Percent Conformance with ISSF Conservation Measures

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its fourth annual Update to ISSF Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report, which shows a conformance rate of 99 percent by 25 ISSF participating companies with all 27 ISSF conservation measures in effect as of 2018.

As part of its commitment to foster transparency and accountability in the fishing industry, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to assess ISSF participating seafood companies’ compliance with ISSF conservation measures according to a rigorous audit protocol.

ISSF participating #seafood companies have regularly surpassed 90% full conformance with ISSF #conservation measures. Click To Tweet

The November 2019 report is based on updates to the initial annual audit results published in April 2019, wherein some companies had “minor” or “major” non-conformances with conservation measures in 2018:

  • The April 2019 annual report showed that one company had a major non-conformance, which had been remediated as of the November 2019 report’s release.
  • There were no other instances of major non-conformance in 2018.
  • ISSF also noted in the November 2019 report that eight participating companies had at least one minor non-conformance, for a total of nine minor non-conformances.

MRAG Americas defines a minor non-conformance as: “Company does not fully comply with a particular conservation measure or commitment, but this does not compromise the integrity of ISSF initiatives.”

The rate of full conformance for each period since participating-company compliance reporting began is reflected below:

Annual compliance report Update to annual compliance report
June 2015: 79.8 percent No Update report published in 2015
June 2016: 87.2 percent November 2016: 95.6 percent
May 2017: 97.5 percent November 2017: 100 percent
June 2018: 97 percent November 2018: 99 percent
April 2019: 98.5 percent November 2019: 99 percent

“As we close a year of celebrating ISSF’s decade of discovery, we are pleased to reflect on consistent years of company-specific, third-party compliance reporting,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson.

“There’s been a 100 percent success rate in ISSF participating companies addressing major non-conformances for the last three audit years, and these companies have regularly surpassed 90 percent in their rate of full conformance with a growing list of ISSF conservation measures. The ISSF audit and compliance process holds industry participants to a higher, completely transparent, standard, making sustainability a core part of their overall strategy.”

The Update to ISSF Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report is published each November to track ISSF participating companies’ progress in conforming with ISSF conservation measures like these:

In addition to the summary compliance reports published in April and November, MRAG Americas issues yearly individual ISSF participating company reports that detail each company’s compliance with all ISSF conservation measures. These include “update” reports, published throughout the year, that explain how individual companies have remediated any non-conformance on the conservation measures.

More Information about ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance

For long-term tuna sustainability, tuna companies worldwide choose to participate with ISSF, follow responsible fishing practices, and implement science-based conservation measures. From bycatch mitigation to product traceability, ISSF participating companies have committed to conforming to a set of conservation measures and other commitments designed to drive positive change — and to do so transparently through third-party audits.

View ISSF Conservation Measures

View ISSA Compliance Policy

Biodegradable FAD Workshops in the Western Pacific Ocean

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Videos.

Biodegradable fish aggregating devices (FADs) are made with natural materials that can break down over time and are less harmful to the marine environment. In contrast, traditional FADs are made with man-made materials that, when not retrieved after fishing, persist in and pollute the oceans. We’re working with fishers, scientists and industry to find the best non-entangling designs and natural materials for fish aggregating devices (FADs) that can biodegrade. This video offers an overview of recent workshops that are part of this ongoing effort.

ISSF Announces New Conservation Measure to Bolster Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Management across Global Tuna Fisheries

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Conservation Measures, News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) today announced the adoption of a new conservation measure requiring that fishing vessels have publicly available fish aggregation device (FAD) management policies to comply with ISSF supply-chain recommendations for marine ecosystem health. These policies must be in line with science-based best practices outlined in ISSF’s report, “Recommended Best Practices for FAD Management in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries.”

Our new #conservation measure helps companies source #tuna from #vessels following best practices in #FAD management. Click To Tweet

“Since ISSF’s founding 10 years ago, we’ve prioritized better management of FADs and the reduction of bycatch and other marine ecosystem impacts across all oceans,” explains ISSF President Susan Jackson. “This new conservation measure gives leading seafood companies a clear framework, based on years of scientific research, in sourcing tuna from vessels that are following best practices in designing, deploying, and recovering FADs — and also in reporting FAD data to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs).”

ISSF Conservation Measure 3.7 Transactions with Vessels or Companies with Vessel-based FAD Management Policies, approved by the ISSF Board of Directors to take effect in 2021, states that ISSF participating companies shall conduct transactions only with those purse seine vessels whose owners develop and make public FAD management policies that include the activities purse seine and supply vessels are undertaking (if any) on the following elements:

  • Comply with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements for fisheries statistics by set type
  • Voluntarily report additional FAD buoy data for use by RFMO science bodies
  • Support science-based limits on the overall number of FADs used per vessel and/or FAD sets made
  • Use only non-entangling FADs to reduce ghost fishing
  • Mitigate 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), implement further mitigation efforts

Helping global tuna fisheries become capable of achieving Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification without conditions has long been an ISSF objective, and improved FAD management is an important component of meeting the MSC standard. Conservation Measure 3.7 is ISSF’s second measure focused on FADs specifically, and its tenth measure focused on bycatch mitigation in tuna fisheries.

For full details on Conservation Measure 3.7, read the complete text here: https://dev.iss-foundation.org/what-we-do/verification/conservation-measures-commitments/bycatch-mitigation-3-7-transactions-with-vessels-or-companies-with-vessel-based-fad-management-policies/

Supply Chain Conservation Measure Expanded to Include FisheryProgress.org and MSC-certified Fisheries

ISSF conservation measures directly affect how 26 global seafood companies that are ISSF participating companies environmentally manage their respective tuna supply chains.

To support ISSF participating companies in sourcing sustainable tuna from processors and vessels and achieving greater supply-chain transparency, the ISSF Board has amended Conservation Measure 2.4 Supply Chain Transparency, Audit, Reporting and Purchase Requirements.

In addition to purchasing tuna from Supplier Source categories — peer ISSF participating companies, ISSF Data Check companies, direct from vessels — ISSF participating companies now can source tuna from an expanded array of sources represented by these Fishery Source categories:

  • Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries eligible to use the MSC label
  • Comprehensive FIPs listed on FisheryProgress.org scoring A, B or C or in their initial listing on Fisheryprogress.org
  • Comprehensive FIPs listed on FisheryProgress.org scoring D or E

By January 31, 2020, and annually thereafter, to comply with measure 2.4, participating companies must publicly report the percentage of tuna sourced from the Supplier Source and/or Fishery Source categories.

The complete measure is available here: https://dev.iss-foundation.org/what-we-do/verification/conservation-measures-commitments/traceability-data-collection-2-4-supply-chain-transparency-audit-reporting-and-purchase-requirements/.

ISSF provides application forms for companies interested in becoming a participating company or Data Check company, including Terms and Conditions for Data Check Companies.

About ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance Process

ISSF is a global partnership among scientists, the tuna industry and the environmental non-governmental community whose mission is to undertake science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health.

Since its inception in 2009, ISSF has adopted conservation measures and commitments to facilitate this mission with the intent that processors, traders, marketers and others involved in the seafood industry will follow them to facilitate real and continuous improvement across global tuna stocks. Each ISSF participating company commits to conform to these conservation measures to improve the long-term health of tuna fisheries. They also must adhere to the ISSA Compliance Policy.

ISSF-participating tuna companies, which represent the majority of the world’s canned-tuna production and include well-known brand names, are audited yearly by MRAG Americas on their compliance with ISSF conservation measures.

Protecting Tropical Tunas in Atlantic Ocean Fisheries: Stronger Management, Better Data Are Key

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

In the Atlantic Ocean region, managers will soon have the opportunity to improve the sustainability of their tropical tuna fisheries. And given the inaction at last year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), this year’s to-do list is especially urgent.

Bigeye and Yellowfin Stock Health Must Improve

ISSF is again urging action to protect two tuna species in the Atlantic Ocean region — bigeye and yellowfin. The latest data definitively indicate that the region’s bigeye tuna stock is overfished and subject to overfishing.

Meanwhile, a recent, more optimistic assessment of yellowfin tuna is due only to changes in data models and assumptions — not to better management. The yellowfin stock has been declining and will soon become overfished if recent catch levels continue. For both bigeye and yellowfin, the total allowable catch or TAC (a control measure that limits the overall catch for a specific fish stock, as agreed to by managers) has been surpassed in recent years. Exceeding a TAC diminishes the ability of a stock to rebuild to healthy levels. 

Our organization, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation — in an appeal echoed by our many stakeholders — is therefore asking fisheries managers at ICCAT to act decisively at their annual meeting this month. We urge the adoption of stock-specific management measures for yellowfin and bigeye that are consistent with scientific advice, including:

  • Appropriate and fully-allocated TAC levels
  • Capacity limits that are commensurate with the TAC allocations
  • Provisions to ensure catches are in compliance with the TACs
  • Procedures to identify and sanction violations of the current TAC allocations

Further Conservation Measures to Reduce Bigeye, Yellowfin Mortality

In addition to the above actions, ISSF and its partners are calling on ICCAT to adopt complementary conservation measures that can reduce the mortality of bigeye and yellowfin tuna in the purse seine fishery. Such measures include: strengthened FAD management, limitations on the use of supply and support vessels, and expanded time/area closures and effort controls such as a seasonal closure.

ICCAT must strengthen its management of its tuna fisheries by also adopting in-season monitoring of tuna catches, including discards, to prevent vessels and fleets from exceeding catch limits.

FAD Management Is Fundamental to Healthy Fisheries

Our focus on strengthened measures to improve bigeye and yellowfin stock health includes better FAD management at ICCAT. With approximately 50 percent of the Atlantic’s tropical tuna caught using FADs, progress toward sustainable tuna must include improving how fisheries managers regulate FAD use. Strengthened FAD management can address overfishing as well as effective tuna management overall.

Unfortunately, managers at ICCAT are severely constrained in their work to manage FADs due to a lack of data. Despite a long-standing requirement for the submission of FAD data for scientific use, only a handful of the fishing nations operating in the ICCAT region are submitting these required data each year. What little data is submitted is often incomplete, which hinders stock assessments and broader fisheries analyses by the ICCAT scientific committee.

Consequently, our list of FAD management requests includes data-focused asks; specifically, we urge ICCAT managers to:

  • Review member country compliance with FAD limits and reporting obligations and take corrective measures, including the adoption of procedures to identify and sanction non-compliance with these requirements
  • Require the submission of FAD position data and acoustic records from echo-sounder buoys to national fisheries departments on a real-time basis and to national research institutes on a time-delay basis
  • Adopt a FAD marking scheme based on the FAO Guidelines on the Marking of Fishing Gear to apply to all FAD deployments, regardless of vessel type

Consistent with our work to reduce marine ecosystem impact from commercial fishing, we’re also asking that ICCAT act at this year’s meeting to: transition toward the use of fully non-entangling FADs; require the use of biodegradable materials in FADs; and require fleets to remove entangling FADs found in the water. ISSF has resources to support ICCAT in these areas, including our Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs Guide and Recommended Best Practices for FAD Management in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries.

As we head off to the ICCAT meeting, we hope you will join our efforts to urge progress on these priorities by advocating for action before and during the upcoming meeting. You can do this by meeting with:

  • National delegations that will be tabling proposals and making the decisions at the meeting
  • Vessel and industry representatives that attend as part of these national delegations and who exercise influence over the positions their governments take
  • FIPs, tuna processors, retailers, and buyers to encourage them to also advocate for this concrete action at ICCAT

We continue to work cooperatively with all ICCAT delegations to achieve positive results for the tunas and ecosystems of the Atlantic Ocean.

81% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels, While 15% Require Stronger Management

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 81% came from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the October 2019 International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 15% of the total tuna catch was from overfished stocks, and 4% was from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance.

Globally, 61% of 23 #tuna stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, 17% are #overfished, and 22% are at an intermediate level. Click To Tweet

Albacore and skipjack stocks in all four major tuna fishing regions are rated as healthy, but several tuna stocks worldwide are considered overfished:

  • The Atlantic Ocean bigeye and Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stocks are overfished and overfishing is taking place.
  • Noting the high uncertainty levels in stock assessments, ISSF is taking a cautious view and considers that the Eastern Pacific Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna stocks are experiencing overfishing and that the Yellowfin stock is overfished.
  • Overfishing is occurring on the Pacific bluefin tuna stock and the stock is heavily overfished.

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, 61% of the 23 stocks are at a healthy level of abundance, 17% are overfished and 22% are at an intermediate level.
  • Fishing mortality levels: 78% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate, and 22% are experiencing overfishing.
  • Total catch: In 2017, as reported in the new report, the total major commercial tuna catch was 4.9 million tonnes, a decrease of 2% from 2016. More than half of the total catch (56%) was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (30%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (5%). Bluefin tunas (three species) accounted for 1% of the global catch. These percentages changed only slightly from the previous Status of the Stocks report.
  • 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 ocean region: More than half (52%) of the world’s tuna is harvested from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, followed by the Indian Ocean (20%), Eastern Pacific Ocean (13%) and Atlantic Ocean (11%). Catch from Pacific-wide stocks accounts for around 3% of the global catch, while catch in the Southern Hemisphere accounts for less than 1%.
  • Tuna production by fishing gear: 65% of the catch is made by purse seining, followed by longline (11%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous gears (12%). These percentages have not changed 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; users can easily toggle through tuna stock health indicators and filter by location, species and other key stock health and catch factors.

Promoting Fisher Gear That Can Better Protect the World’s Largest Tuna Fishing Region

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

ISSF’s new Guide to Non-entangling and Biodegradable FADs equips the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) with scientific research to back stronger sustainability measures for FAD fishers in its region.

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) oversees the long-term conservation of highly migratory fish stocks, including tunas, in the western and central Pacific Ocean. Four subsidiary bodies support the Commission’s work and meet in the months prior to the December WCPFC annual meeting. One such group meets this week: the Technical and Compliance Committee (TCC), WCPFC’s “enforcement” committee.

The TCC reviews member states’ adherence to Commission decisions and monitors individual countries’ implementation of WCPFC conservation measures. The TCC also makes recommendations to encourage, improve and enforce members’ compliance with Commission decisions. Finally, the TCC coordinates with the WCPFC Scientific Committee to ensure consistent advice is provided.

Given the TCC’s crucial role at WCPFC — managers of the world’s largest tuna fishing grounds — ISSF has long participated in TCC meetings. As we prepare for the TCC gathering this week in Pohnpei, we are taking this opportunity to urge progress on the adoption and implementation of fish aggregating devices (FADs) that are both non-entangling and biodegradable.

The Path Toward a More Sustainable FAD

Since our founding in 2009, ISSF has researched how to reduce FADs’ impacts on marine ecosystems. And since 2015, we have partnered with scientists, fleets, RFMOs and the FAO to find the best non-entangling designs and vegetal, biodegradable materials for FADs.

These research projects have spurred large-scale deployments of more than 2,000 biodegradable FADs in the Indian and Eastern Pacific Oceans to test different materials and constructions. The culmination of this ongoing effort is the new ISSF Guide to Non-entangling and Biodegradable FADs, which documents — for the first time — detailed guidance on constructing biodegradable FAD rafts and tails.

ISSF and its partners are optimistic that the collaborative research recommendations in the guide will catalyze fisheries managers to step up efforts in addressing critical challenges. 

Workshops in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean

ISSF is pleased that last year WCPFC adopted measures requiring fleets to begin using lower-entangling FADs in January 2020. It’s also positive that the Commission has agreed to consider adopting measures for fully non-entangling FADs and/or biodegradable materials in FADs next year.

To support this important progress, ISSF — in collaboration with the U.N. FAO-GEF-funded Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project — hosted four biodegradable FAD workshops in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) in 2019: in Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Philippines and the Marshall Islands.

After the workshops, a pilot project to test 100 biodegradable FADs with the Carolina Fishing Company fleet based in FSM was launched. Our partner scientists used lessons from the workshops and pilot project to plan a potential WCPO-wide biodegradable FAD research project that considers the regional characteristics of FADs and fleet behaviors.

Arming the Committee and the Commission for Science-Based Success

The WCPFC, interested fleets and members, the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) have already shown strong leadership for improving FAD management and fisheries conservation in the WCPO.

It’s clear that they understand just how crucial these efforts are in protecting their region’s critical natural resource: They appreciate that non-entangling and biodegradable FADs can help reduce pollution entering the marine environment from fishing and help minimize entanglement of species like oceanic whitetip sharks. This week, the TCC has the opportunity to lend strong support to the WCFPC continuing on the path toward mandatory use of these improved FADs. 

As we participate in this week’s TCC meeting and look to the Commission meeting and beyond, we urge member nations and seafood companies to embrace the latest science-based tools and resources that ISSF and our partners have to offer.

Through the ISSF Guide to Non-entangling and Biodegradable FADs, in-region workshops, pilot projects, and more, we are eager to strengthen existing partnerships and forge new ones to ensure the success of fully non-entangling and biodegradable FADs in the WCPO.

ISSF Releases New Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs Guide for Fishers, RFMOs, Governments and Vessel Owners

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published a best-practices guide — based on years of ISSF scientific research and fleet collaboration worldwide, including at skippers workshops — to help tuna fishers accelerate their use of fish aggregating device (FAD) designs with the least possible impact on the marine ecosystem.

The ISSF Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs Guide is the first manual to show, through detailed illustrations, non-entangling (NE) FAD raft and tail designs made with biodegradable materials.

By not using netting in FADs, tuna-vessel owners and fishers can prevent the entanglement and “bycatch” of sharks, sea turtles, and other non-target marine species — a serious issue addressed in the guide. In addition, by choosing vegetal instead of plastic-derived materials for FADs, fishers can avoid contributing to the ocean pollution caused by discarded fishing gear. A study estimated that 10% of FADs deployed in tuna fisheries end up stranded and can ensnare sharks and turtles as they drift, a phenomenon known as “ghost fishing.” (Maufroy et al. 2015)

A Resource for Sustainable Fishing Stakeholders

ISSF’s Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs Guide also summarizes Regional Fisheries Management Organization (RFMO) requirements for FAD designs. For example, as of 2018, four tuna RFMOs require tuna fishers to use NE designs for FADs; however, they only encourage, rather than require, fishers to use biodegradable materials.

“Through our long-running Skippers Workshop program with purse-seine fishers, we’ve observed their growing commitment to better protect marine species and habitats — and their willingness to switch to NE FADs as a necessary step,” says Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF’s Vice President of Science. “With help from practical resources like this guide, fishers can make progress in using biodegradable materials for NE FAD designs — and we also hope to see RFMOs require fully non-entangling and biodegradable designs for FAD fishers.”

The Non-Entangling and Biodegradable FADs Guide, which was authored by ISSF scientists with input from ISSF’s Scientific Advisory Committee and Bycatch Steering Committee, can assist RFMO and government policymakers in adopting more rigorous, science-based measures for lower-impact FAD designs.

The guide can be downloaded in English from the ISSF site. Later this fall, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Japanese, Korean, French, Indonesian, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese versions will be published. This is the second update of the ISSF NE FAD guide since it was first published in 2012.

ISSF’s 10th anniversary timeline highlights a decade of achievements in FAD research, from a November 2009 bycatch-mitigation workshop to current biodegradable FAD pilot studies in four RFMO regions.

ISSF Welcomes Filipino Company Ocean Canning Corporation as New Participating Company

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

Philippines company Ocean Canning Corporation is the latest seafood company to join in the conservation efforts of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). ISSF participating companies work with the Foundation to advocate for sustainable tuna fishery management and encourage the adoption of responsible fishing practices.

“We are pleased to welcome Ocean Canning Corporation as an ISSF participating company. Industry engagement is a core component of what we do and is integral in advancing our conservation objectives,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Engaging tuna companies around the world to help them appreciate the importance of sustainably-minded practices, as well as expecting them to commit to conform to ISSF’s science-based conservation measures, is critical to improving the long term health of global tuna fisheries. And the addition of companies from Southeast Asia like Ocean Canning is evidence of the Foundation’s growing global reach.”

Ocean Canning Corporation, established in 1997, is a private tuna canner, processor and exporter based in General Santos City, Philippines.

All ISSF participating companies are independently and comprehensively audited annually to assess their compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures, the results of which are published in the ISSF compliance report and the ISSF annual report. ISSF also publishes individual compliance reports for each ISSF participating company.

ISSF launched in 2009 with eight participating companies and today has 26 industry partners, including well-known brands produced and sold in North America, South America, Europe, Africa, Oceania, the Pacific Islands and Asia.