SEAFOODNEWS.COM by Michael Ramsingh — September 2, 2014 — Coming up in October the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Resources (CCAMLR) will meet to hash out TACs for toothfish fisheries that fall under the Commission's regulatory scope.
Since a majority of the region's catch comes from fisheries that will get underway in the fourth quarter, following is a rundown of some of the driving forces behind toothfish stock management along with how the fishery performed under these regulations during the 2013/14 fishing season.
There are 13 toothfish fisheries that fall under the CCAMLAR’s management jurisdiction; another five fisheries fall under the management scope of EEZ’s in Argentina, Australia, Chile and the Falkland Islands/Isles Malvinas – the TAC for the combined fisheries was 23,991 tons during the 2013/14 fishing season, representing virtually the total availability of legal toothfish. Members of the Coalition of Legal Toothfish Operators (COLTO) caught about 80 percent of this TAC.
Generally CCAMLAR sets the seasons when fishing conditions are more favorable. Since toothfish is a Southern Hemisphere fishery, this means most fishing takes place during the region’s summer season which coincides with the fall and winter months for those of those of us living in the Northern half of the world.
Additionally, seabird abundances are at their lowest level during the winter months – again this would be the summer time for those in the Southern half of the globe. So while some toothfish fisheries can remain open all year depending on gear types and other regulations, seabird bycatch is a major factor that managers consider when setting the fishing calendar.
“In our fishery at Heard Island for example, you can pot fish all year round (fishing year aligns with CCAMLR year which runs from December 1 to 30 November). But longline fishing has a “core” season from May 1 to September 14,” said Martin Excel, COLTO’s chairman. “If your vessel has done the right thing the previous year and applied all seabird mitigation measures properly then there are two “seasonal extension” periods from April 15 -30 and from September 14 to November 14.”
According to COLTO, fully 75 percent of the toothfish current TAC are landed during this time. This includes the Heard & McDonald Islands, the Ross Sea and the Kerguelen, Crozet and P. Edward & Marion Islands.
So with Labor Day marking the unofficial end to the summer season in North America, those in the toothfish industry are gearing up for their own summer season. In October, CCAMLR will meet to hash out the fishing quotas for the 2014/15 season. According to Excel it remains much too early to tell what this year’s quota will be.
“For some of the fisheries they will the same, others will change,” Excel said. “At this stage its not possible to work out, as it depends on calculations by scientists from things like random stratified trawls surveys or tagging studies.”
So while it may be a bit early to know how much toothfish will available later this fourth quarter there’s no doubt the global market will be seeing more toothfish volumes trickling in later this year and into 2015.
This story originally appeared on Seafood.com, a subscription site. It is reprinted with permission.