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Report: At Least 1,843 Purse Seine Vessels Fishing for Tuna Worldwide Today, A Slight Decrease versus 2018 Analysis

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

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has issued an updated “snapshot” of Large-Scale Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets report as of June 2019. The total number of purse seine vessels, calculated based on data from the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), has decreased from 1,871 in 2018 to 1,843 today, mainly due to the removal from RFMO lists of vessels under 24m that are now inactive. 

In the tropical #tuna large-scale #purse #seine fleet, fish hold volume grew by 1% since 2018. Click To Tweet

Having an accurate estimate of active vessels is critical for managing tuna fishing capacity regionally as well as globally. Although purse seine vessels account for approximately 65 percent of the 4.9-million-tonne global tuna catch, multiple databases must be searched to count all authorized purse seine vessels. To provide an annual best estimate — and to track capacity changes from year to year — ISSF analyzes and aggregates information from the five tuna RFMOs and other sources. As the report explains, these figures may underestimate the total fleet, because many small-scale purse seiners or purse seiners operating in only one exclusive economic zone (EEZ) do not have to be listed on RFMOs’ records of authorized fishing vessels.

Through its research, ISSF found that in the tropical tuna large-scale purse seine (LSPS) fleet, fish hold volume (FHV) grew by 1 percent since 2018. The report shows approximately 686 vessels (up 2 percent, from 673 last year) defined as large-scale purse seine (LSPS) vessels targeting tropical tuna species (skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye), with a combined fishing capacity of over 860,000 m3. The increase is not all due to new vessel constructions, but also to the addition to RFMO lists of older vessels that were not listed in the past. These vessels may have been inactive for some time or participating in a different fishery, but this type of information is not readily available.

Other report findings about the large-scale purse seine vessels targeting tropical tuna include:

  • About 18 percent of the 686 large-scale vessels are authorized to fish in more than one RFMO.
  • About 2 percent of these vessels changed flags in the last year.
  • Among the RFMOs, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) still has the highest number of LSPS registrations (347), more than half of the total worldwide.
  • The majority of large-scale vessels (515) are registered on the ISSF ProActive Vessel Register (PVR); PVR-registered LSPS represent 75 percent in number and 83 percent in fish hold volume (FHV).

In addition, the report shows that 97 percent of the large-scale tropical tuna purse seiners operating today have publicly known International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers; in 2011, that figure was 12 percent. Nearly 100 percent of the purse seine vessels listed on PVR have IMO numbers. ISSF has long recommended in its RFMO advocacy positions and in Conservation Measures 4.1 and 4.2 that vessels obtain IMO numbers, identifiers that do not change even if the vessel ownership, national registration, or name changes. Unique vessel identifiers (UVIs) like IMO numbers are an important tool to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. 

The report also covers purse-seine vessel construction, distribution, and FHV by national flag. It offers recommendations for vessel owners on registration and for RFMOs on vessel-data collection and management. View the updated report here.

International Workshop on Mitigating Environmental Impacts of Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Videos.

ISSF and the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project co-sponsored the workshop held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ (FAO) Headquarters in March 2019. The workshop reviewed the progress cross-sector research and advocacy efforts have made in reducing bycatch and other environmental impacts and identified main focus areas for future activities. This video offers a brief overview of the workshop and interviews with attendees.

Stronger Tools to Combat IUU and Greater Protections for Sea Turtles Among Wins for Eastern Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries; FAD Management a Big Miss

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) recently concluded its 94th Annual Meeting in Bilbao. And while the Commission took some positive steps in line with the science-based asks made by ISSF and WWF, overall, little progress was made.

Before we detail this lack of progress, let’s consider the few wins we are applauding:

Stronger Weapons to Fight IUU

Combating illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities across tuna RFMOs is a global, critical mission for ISSF and WWF. So we were pleased that IATTC intensified their efforts by enhancing its IUU vessel listing processes.

IATTC joins the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in enabling the cross listing of vessels included on the IUU vessel lists of other RFMOs (both tuna and non-tuna) — an improvement we have been advocating for in all tuna RFMOs as a best practice. Also, the cross listing of vessels listed by non-tuna RFMOs can occur. Now, vessels like carriers that operate across RFMOs with the competence for different fisheries and IUU-listed tuna fishing vessels from other parts of the world will be listed.

ISSF and WWF are also encouraged by the adoption of a work plan for the development of electronic monitoring (EM) standards, which will set the stage to progressively expand EM across fleets.

Stronger Protections for Sea Turtles and Sharks

Another important win concerns vulnerable sea turtle species. The IATTC adopted stronger measures to mitigate fisheries impacts on sea turtles. Specific mitigation measures will also now apply to all shallow-set longline vessels, thus covering a larger portion of the longline fleet. 

Like sea turtles, silky sharks — the most common shark caught in purse seine fisheries and a species also caught in longline fisheries — are another non-target species of concern in the EPO. The long-term trend of continued declines in the bycatch rates of large silky sharks has raised concerns because this is an indicator of worsening silky shark populations. We are therefore pleased that IATTC extended its conservation measure for silky sharks and strengthened some elements to improve implementation of the current provisions.

More importantly, given the extremely low reporting rate of operational shark data from longline fisheries (another reason 100% observer coverage on longline fisheries is critically needed) and the lack of fishery/biological sampling data from shark landings, the scientific staff and the SAC are tasked with evaluating the effectiveness of the current provisions of the extended resolution and making recommendations for additional and more effective measures in 2021.   

Progressing Harvest Strategies

Another area of some progress is harvest strategies, which include target and limit reference points together with harvest control rules. Harvest strategies provide pre-agreed rules for managing fisheries resources and acting in response to stock status changes.

This year, IATTC approved a road map that clarifies the scope and the steps to be followed in evaluating harvest strategies. Effective communication between scientists, managers, industry and other interested actors is essential, and the scientist-manager workshops planned by the IATTC will be an essential mechanism to promote these dialogues.

Continued Inaction When the Case for Strengthened FAD Management Is Evident

The number of FADs used and the number of FAD sets in the EPO has grown in recent years. Fleets that were not previously using them are now increasingly fishing on FADs — either on those they encounter by chance, or by deploying FADs themselves. This situation has raised concerns because all stock status indicators for bigeye tuna (except catch) are at or near their respective reference levels that indicate high exploitation rates. 

As a result, at this year’s SAC meeting, the IATTC scientific staff was asked to consider alternatives to limit the fishing pressure by the purse seine fleet. The staff’s suggestion to reduce the active FAD limit by 30% was appropriately precautionary, and it corresponded to the recommendation to restrict fishing effort to the 2015-2017 average level. This proposal was also in line with the recommendations of the Joint Tuna RFMOs FAD Working Group. But despite this broad, scientific support for an active-FAD-limit reduction and various proposals to strengthen the current FAD measures, the IATTC could not agree to even slight progress on FAD management.

More Missteps on Monitoring and Data Collection

Comprehensive observer coverage is critical to the monitoring and management of sustainable tropical tuna fisheries. IATTC requires 100% observer coverage of large-scale purse seine vessels, but requires a mere minimum of 5% coverage for longline vessels (and that is not even being met in many cases) and no coverage for smaller purse seine vessels.

We are encouraged by certain fisheries improvement project initiatives that place observers on smaller purse seiners, as well as the Commission’s adoption of a work plan for developing EM standards and electronic reporting for small-class-size purse seiners. But, overall, it was again a bad year for observer coverage. The Commission did not reach consensus on proposals to increase observer coverage on longline vessels from 5% to even 20%, despite scientists stating that 5% minimum coverage is inadequate. Observer coverage must be increased to provide effective monitoring of general fishing activities, and data collection.

At-sea transshipment grew by 67% from 2012 to 2017 in the IATTC region. And published evaluations of public AIS data suggest that the number of transshipment events occurring in the EPO may be much larger than what is being reported to the Commission. Therefore, ISSF and WWF are disappointed that the IATTC was not able to agree to even modest, but needed, improvements to its resolution regulating at-sea transshipment. Amendments such as requiring carriers to be flagged to member nations in order to better monitor their activities, and ensuring that the IATTC vessel monitoring system (VMS) provisions apply to all vessels engaged in transshipment, would have brought its transshipment regulation more in line with best practices.

Looking Ahead

The members of the IATTC must take a moment of reflection after this year’s meeting and consider how to progress the important conservation and management priorities facing their region’s fisheries. Next year the entire tuna conservation resolution will expire unless it is renewed. ISSF and WWF urge all parties to engage in robust intersessional consultations between now and the 2020 Commission Meeting so that significant progress can be made. We urge all parties to come prepared to negotiate and adopt effective and science-based measures to limit the fishing pressure on the EPO tuna stocks and strengthen protections for the wider marine ecosystem.

We stand ready to continue to collaborate with stakeholders and to work with all IATTC members to support their efforts in the coming year. All RFMOs must continue to make demonstrable progress in carrying out their mandates to sustainably manage tuna resources for the long term.

 

Dr. Gala Moreno is Senior Science Consultant, ISSF; Holly Koehler is Vice President for Policy and Outreach, ISSF; and Pablo Guerrero is Director of Fisheries for WWF-Ecuador.

Improved Monitoring, Reduced Fishing Pressure and Strengthened FAD Management Needed for Sustainable Eastern Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries

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

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its position statement in for the 94th Meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) in Bilbao, Spain, from July 22-26, 2019.

“The Commission took some important steps last year, including the adoption of a technical definition for non-entangling FAD designs, a binding measure on safety at sea for human observers and to require International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers on all fishing vessels greater than 12m,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “However there were many important issues left unresolved and these must be urgently addressed this year.”

Our position statement for #IATTC outlines priority topics for the Commission's meeting this week. Click To Tweet

As top priorities, ISSF urges IATTC to:

  1. Develop a set of options to limit fishing pressure by the purse seine fleet, such as limiting fish aggregating device (FAD) deployments, further limiting the number of active FADs per vessel, and/or limiting the number of all set types.
  2. Strengthen FAD management through science-based measures, including a transition to FADs that do not use nets, and to encouraging the provision of echo-sounder data for scientific purposes.
  3. Fund knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and communication of scientific advice, including the establishment of a scientist-manager dialogue process and the development of harvest strategies for all key tuna species.
  4. Require 100% observer coverage (human or electronic) for longline vessels, small class purse seine vessels and all vessels engaged in at-sea transshipment within five years, and develop minimum electronic monitoring and reporting standards.
  5. Adopt measures to mitigate the incidental catch and maximize post-release survival of sharks, mobulid rays and sea turtles, and require all sharks be landed with fins naturally attached.
  6. Strengthen the IATTC compliance assessment process.

Access the full position statement to review detailed ISSF recommendations.

ISSF Global Priorities for Tuna RFMOs

ISSF is committed to advocating for science-based approaches, policies and conservation measures to advance tuna fisheries sustainability. The following are ISSF’s Global Priorities for Tuna Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), specifically, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC):

  • Implementation of rigorous harvest strategies, including harvest control rules and reference points
  • Effective management of fleet capacity, including developing mechanisms that support developing coastal state engagement in the fishery
  • Science-based FAD management & non-entangling FAD designs
  • Increased member compliance with all adopted measures adopted, and greater transparency of processes reviewing member compliance with measures
  • Strengthened MCS measures and increased observer coverage, including through modern technologies such as electronic monitoring and e-reporting; and
  • Adoption of best-practice bycatch mitigation and shark conservation and management measures

Sharing Best-Practice: IPNLF & ISSF Launch First Practical Reference Guide for Pole-and-Line Fishing

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

A new guidebook detailing science-based best-practices for maximising catch value and also minimising the environmental impacts of these fisheries is today jointly published by and the International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

The Skippers’ Guidebook to Pole-and-Line Fishing Best Practices has been written by fishers, marine scientists and pole-and-line experts. Aimed at one-by-one fishers and fishery stakeholders, the Guidebook offers practical advice on conducting these artisanal tuna fishing operations — from capture to handling and storage methods.

ISSF and @IPNLF have teamed up to produce their first #sustainability guidebook for #pole and #line #fishers. Click To Tweet

As highlighted in the Guidebook, pole-and-line fishing has gained attention as a responsible method of harvesting tuna. With the growing consumer awareness about the sustainability of seafood resources, this Guidebook is well placed to provide a resource for fishers globally to optimise the efficiency of their operations, maximise catch quality and recognise and address the environmental impacts of their activities in order to reach the increasing demand for pole-and-line caught products.

Topics covered by the guidebook include:

  • Tuna species targeted by pole-and-line fisheries
  • Fishing operations in pole-and-line tuna fishing
  • Tuna catch handling and storage
  • Baitfish catch methods, management, and utilisation in pole-and-line fisheries

The chapters include a comprehensive series of examples and recommendations to help pole-and-line fishers understand and implement best-practise guidance.

Dr. Victor Restrepo, Vice President of Science at ISSF, says: “ISSF is committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of global tuna fisheries. That commitment drives the publication of the ISSF Skippers Guidebook series for longline and purse seine vessel fishers, as well as our observer guidebook — sharing best practices with those stakeholders on the front lines of the collaborative work toward sustainable fisheries. Having expert advisors on our respective science committees in common, ISSF is pleased to partner with the International Pole and Line Foundation in expanding such science-based guidance to the pole-and-line sector.”

Martin Purves, Managing Director of IPNLF, adds: “We believe the Skippers’ Guidebook will prove an important, practical resource not only for the many thousands of pole-and-line fishers around the world, but also for all those many more people connected to these supply chains. The profile of pole-and-line fishing has reached new levels, not only due to the low environmental impacts of these fisheries, but increasingly also because of the social benefits that they bring to the coastal communities connected to them. Like any catch method there is significant scope for further improvements in the sustainability aspects of these fisheries, providing markets with higher quality, more responsibly sourced tuna. There’s no question that this is what today’s consumers are looking for.”

The Skippers’ Guidebook to Pole-and-Line Fishing Best Practices is available online on the ISSF and IPNLF websites.

http://ipnlf.org/resources/ipnlf-documents/document/pole-line-skippers-guidebook

https://dev.iss-foundation.org/download-monitor-demo/download-info/issf-ipnlf-skippers-guidebook-to-pole-and-line-fishing-best-practices/

    

About the International Pole & Line Foundation
The International Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) works to develop, support and promote socially and environmentally responsible pole-and-line, handline and troll tuna fisheries around the world. IPNLF’s ambition is to contribute to thriving coastal fisheries, including the people, communities, businesses and seas connected with them.  As a hub for sustainably-minded organisations, we use the influence of the market to forge change through practical fishery projects and stakeholder cooperation. IPNLF membership is open to organisations involved in the one-by-one caught tuna supply chain. Allied with our Members, IPNLF demonstrates the value of one-by-one caught tuna to consumers, policymakers and throughout the supply chain. We work across science, policy and the seafood sector, using an evidence-based, solutions-focused approach with guidance from our Scientific & Technical Advisory Committee and Board of Trustees.

IPNLF was officially registered in the United Kingdom in 2012 (Charity 1145586), with branch offices in London, the Maldives, Indonesia, and South Africa and a staff presence in France, Germany, Netherlands, North America and St Helena.

 

Leveraging Technology for Sustainable Tuna

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

ISSF and WWF staff are preparing to attend the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), the group responsible for managing tuna fisheries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, in Bilbao, Spain, this month.

As we do, we’re recalling the good outcomes from last year’s meeting, where important WWF and ISSF “asks” to the Commission consistent with scientific advice were met, including:

  • The adoption of technical definition of a non-entangling FAD design
  • The adoption of a binding measure to ensure the safety at sea for human observers, including those on carrier vessels
  • Requiring IMO numbers for all fishing vessels of more than 12m

The Commission meeting did fall short, however, on a number of important issues like increased observer coverage for the longline fleet and smaller purse seiners; strengthened protection for sharks and sea turtles; and provision of raw FAD buoy data to the IATTC that are received by original users like vessels or fishing companies.

That’s why 2019 position statements from ISSF and WWF urge action on these topics, among other important issues.

Why Electronic Monitoring and Reporting?

Electronic monitoring and reporting (EM/ER) has been effectively implemented in longline and purse seine fisheries for at least two decades. And now thanks to improved technology and decreasing costs, it can be broadly expanded across fleets to play a viable role in attaining 100% observer coverage, thereby strengthening fishery data collection and monitoring. 

EM/ER can provide robust scientific data to meet multiple management needs: the development of effective conservation and management decisions and harvest strategies; and the monitoring of implementation of these decisions, as well as of bycatch mitigation measures regarding sea turtles, seabirds, sharks and rays. 

Further, electronic monitoring systems on tuna vessels can deliver essential quantitative data on FAD deployments, designs, sets and catch per effort — as a complement to human observer reporting, or to increase overall coverage rates. (IATTC’s current observer requirement for longliners is, after all, is still a paltry minimum of 5%, and small purse-seine vessels do not have to carry observers. We urge IATTC to increase these coverage rates to 100%.)

Even on large scale purse seine vessels in the IATTC region, with 100% human observer coverage, EM systems can capture information that is difficult for human observers to gather, such as seeing all FAD deployments and bycatch handling on the deck, or sampling from larger catch volumes in the net to estimate tuna species and size composition. Last year, IATTC’s own scientific staff sounded the alarm about the growing number of FAD sets. A better understanding of FAD deployments, as well as more complete information on FAD numbers and FAD sets per vessel, will help IATTC develop and implement more targeted, science-driven management measures.

As a research scientist and a fisheries manager, respectively, we are eager for EM to be implemented in the EPO for yet another reason, which won’t surprise anyone following this co-writer’s research in recent years. EM technology can monitor the use of non-entangling (NE) FAD designs — long advocated by ISSF and WWF — as well as the eventual use of less-harmful and biodegradable FADs.

Finally, EM can shed light on at-sea transshipment activities. At-sea transshipment has grown by 67% between 2012 and 2017 in the IATTC Convention Area, with bigeye and albacore tuna — two major commercial species — making up a large majority of the transfers.

While transshipment has increased, IATTC management regulations have not kept pace with best practices. For instance, the IATTC regulations, last updated in 2012, do not require carrier vessels to be flagged to a Contracting Party or Cooperating Non-Member; reports to be submitted in near-real time; or carrier and observer reports to be shared with appropriate authorities. EM can be a solution here as well.

Guidance for Implementing Electronic Monitoring

ISSF and WWF are asking IATTC to make accelerated progress on electronic monitoring and reporting. We’re urging IATTC to follow the recommendations of its Scientific Advisory Committee and the Joint Tuna RFMO FAD Working Group to develop electronic monitoring and reporting standards for longline and purse seine vessels, ultimately achieving 100% observer coverage in the longline fishery and for all vessel classes in the purse seine fishery.

A recent ISSF report, ISSF 2018-04: Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries, recommends best practices for electronic monitoring systems (EMS), including:

  • EMS should be tested and certified by a third party.
  • EMS should be tamper proof and able to capture four months of data at minimum.
  • EMS must be independent from the crew during a trip (except for system maintenance). EMS software should allow the effective, efficient review of images.

Many of these recommendations are relevant to longline fisheries as well (see ISSF 2016-07: Application of Electronic Monitoring Systems in Tuna Longline Fisheries. International Workshop).

We urge IATTC delegations to recognize the importance of this work to ensure that fisheries in the region can continue to provide reliable jobs, consistent supply of food, and viable business and development opportunities.   

All RFMOs must continue to make demonstrable progress in carrying out their mandates to sustainably manage tuna resources for the long term. We stand ready to continue to work with all IATTC members to support their efforts and look forward to continued collaboration with all stakeholders.

 

Dr. Gala Moreno is an ISSF scientist-consultant, and Pablo Guerrero is Director of Fisheries for WWF-Ecuador.

ISSF’s Decade of Discovery

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Videos.

In 2009, acclaimed scientists, leaders in industry, and environmental champions launched the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation based on shared concerns about the future of global tuna fisheries and a desire to do something about it — together. This video features a variety of stakeholders reflecting on ISSF’s first decade of discovery and our progress to date, while looking toward future goals on the path to sustainable fisheries.

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation Brings on Marine Research Expert as Senior Scientist

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

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is pleased to announce the addition of Hilario Murua, Ph.D., to its science staff in the position of Senior Scientist. Dr. Murua will work with an international team of scientists facilitating the long-term sustainable use of global tuna fisheries, including work on tuna conservation, stock status, bycatch mitigation and capacity management.

ISSF is honored to welcome #fisheries expert Dr. Hilario Murua to its international #science team. Click To Tweet

“Hilario’s experience at a leading marine research organization, his management history at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and his impressive record of scientific publications make him an invaluable addition to the ISSF team,” said Vice President of Science at ISSF Dr. Victor Restrepo. “We’re thrilled to bring such an esteemed scientist on board, and I look forward to working with Hilario.”

Dr. Hilario Murua previously served as Principal Investigator in the Marine Research Division at AZTI. He has more than 20 years’ experience working on fish population dynamics, assessment and management. Dr. Murua also has deep experience with Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs), having chaired the IOTC Scientific Committee and served as Rapporteur for the Bigeye Species Group at ICCAT in 2015–2018.

He served as chairman of the Standing Committee on Fisheries Science (STACFIS) of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO) and as a member of the NAFO Scientific Council from 1999–2006. He also was a member of the ICES Arctic Fisheries Working Group from 1999–2006, and a member of the European Commission’s Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF) in 2010–2019.

Dr. Murua regularly supervises master’s-degree and Ph.D. students and has published more than 75 peer-reviewed papers, co-edited three special fishery journal volumes, and contributed over 150 working documents in various RFMOs. Dr. Murua has an undergraduate degree in Marine Biology from Universidad de La Laguna and a doctorate in Biological Science from Universidad del Pais Vasco, both in Spain.

 

IOTC Takes Decisive Action on FADs But Fails to Adopt Effective Measures to Rebuild Yellowfin Stocks

Written by svanouse on . Posted in Blogs, News.

The IOTC concluded its 23rd Annual Meeting in India last week, and the results are decidedly mixed. ISSF went into the meeting with urgent calls for IOTC to take immediate steps to protect Indian Ocean yellowfin. We were also advocating for IOTC to:

  • Adopt species-specific harvest strategies as soon as possible, particularly for yellowfin tuna, and conduct a review of the limit reference points (LRPs) in Resolution 15/10 to allow for the adoption of harvest control rules by 2020
  • Address data gaps in artisanal fisheries, especially for gillnets
  • Strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures, such as vessel monitoring systems (VMS) and the regional observer scheme (ROS)
  • Strengthen fish aggregating device (FAD) management, including of supply and tender vessels; ensure full implementation of non-entangling FADs; and support testing of biodegradable FADs
  • Require 100% observer coverage on large-scale purse seine vessels; adopt the ROS Standards for national programs; and develop electronic monitoring/electronic reporting (EM/ER) standards so that EM can be used to ultimately achieve 100% observer coverage in purse seine and longline fisheries
  • Continue to strengthen the IOTC compliance assessment process

The IOTC made progress on some of these asks, but unfortunately not on our highest-priority item, which was the adoption of an effective rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna that gives full effect to the recommendations from IOTC’s Scientific Committee. 

Positive Outcomes for FAD Management and Non-Entangling & Biodegradable FADs

ISSF is pleased that the IOTC took decisive action on FADs. The IOTC agreed to the mandatory use of non-entangling FADs from 1 January 2020 and use of biodegradable FADs from 1 January 2022. In addition, the Commission further reduced the limit on active FADs to 300 (down from 350) and the number acquired annually per purse seiner to 500 (down from 700). The mandatory use of non-entangling and biodegradable FADs will reduce entanglement of sensitive species such as sharks, minimize FAD strandings on sensitive marine habitats, and reduce plastic pollution. 

These crucial steps forward on FAD management were coupled with clarification on FAD data reporting (e.g., clear articulation of the aggregation and format requirements) and the development of an intersessional program of work for FAD marking, tracking and retrieval. This intersessional work will enable in-depth discussions on the reporting of lost FADs, arrangements to alert coastal States of derelict FADs at risk of beaching in near real-time, how and who recovers the DFADs, and how the recovery costs are collected and shared.  

Yellowfin Rebuilding: Some Steps Forward, But Largely Missing the Mark

ISSF urged IOTC to adopt an effective rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna this year that gives full effect to the scientific advice of its own Science Committee and achieves a healthy spawning biomass for the species by 2024 with at least 50% probability.

Unfortunately, the management arrangements for yellowfin that IOTC adopted last week once again do not achieve the catch reductions recommended by the Scientific Committee. This is a concerning and disappointing outcome that puts the Indian Ocean yellowfin stock at further risk. ISSF urges all Parties to work together between now and the next meeting as a matter of priority to bridge gaps and find solutions that will produce an effective rebuilding strategy that will ensure the long-term sustainability of this important resource.

While the adopted measure does not meet the scientific advice, we note that it does include some positive aspects. One of these are the provisions requiring that Parties whose fleets exceed their catch limits will have that over-catch deducted from their annual limits in future years. There is a clear need for such a provision since, in 2018, the IOTC Scientific Committee reported that catches of yellowfin tuna exceeded by 3% the management measures previously agreed by the Commission. The new measure also includes catch limits for Parties that were previously exempted from having limits. 

Despite the lack of progress on the yellowfin tuna rebuilding measure, ISSF is pleased that the Commission considered a working draft of a yellowfin tuna Management Procedure (Harvest Strategy) and committed to continue funding the management strategy evaluation work. We applaud this initial step and look forward to seeing its further development in the coming years.

Success for Manta and Devil Rays (aka Mobulids)

IOTC has joined IATTC in adopting a prohibition on retention of mobulid rays along with safe release guidelines.  As long-lived species, these rays are more susceptible to fishing pressure, so it is gratifying to see IOTC joining other RFMOs in taking steps to reduce the impact of fishing on these non-target and associated and dependent species.

Missed Opportunities: Strengthened MCS Tools and Compliance

ISSF is disappointed that there was again limited concrete progress on developing or strengthening essential monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) tools for the IOTC, including a regional VMS and observer program. Therefore, it is critical that the VMS Working Group make swift progress in considering the necessary policy related improvements for this key MCS tool.

Likewise, continued intersessional work on the regional observer program and electronic monitoring standards is essential to enabling an increase in observer coverage, particularly in those sectors that remain non-compliant with the existing — and wholly inadequate — 5% observer coverage requirement. We stand ready to work with all Parties to accelerate progress on these issues during an intersessional period in accordance with the Commission’s work plan.

Finally, the reported level of compliance by Parties, as presented in the IOTC Compliance Committee, is quite low for several important conservation measures, such as mandatory data reporting, FAD management plans, and active vessels. Strengthening the IOTC compliance assessment process is an essential body of work. In particular, ISSF remains concerned that the compliance process lacks a scheme of responses to non-compliance and a full assessment of all IOTC’s obligations and measures. We will continue to work with members of the Commission to further refine the process in line with best practices, and taking into account the lessons learned in other RFMOs. 

While there was some progress in the IOTC this year, there were big missed opportunities to ensure the long-term sustainable management of the Indian Ocean’s valuable tuna fisheries and their associated ecosystems. ISSF remains focused on taking steps forward, not backward, and will be working diligently in the weeks and months ahead with all stakeholders towards this goal.

Happy World Oceans Day

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Videos.

Healthy fisheries mean healthy oceans. World Oceans Day is a day to celebrate the world’s largest habitat, and bring awareness to all ocean causes — including sustainable tuna fisheries.