Saving Seafood

ISSF adopts new measure to protect Indian Ocean yellowfin if IOTC fails to act

May 18, 2021 — The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has announced the adoption of a new conservation member for participating companies aimed at reducing the annual sourcing of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna.

Called ISSF Conservation Measure 1.3 IOTC Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding, the measure will take effect if the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) doesn’t take action at its June 2021 meeting to safeguard the stock. The IOTC delayed any decision on the yellowfin stock in March, a move criticized by NGOs and seafood companies.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ISSF Adopts New Conservation Measure Aimed at Rebuilding Yellowfin Tuna in the Indian Ocean

May 6, 2021 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) today announced a new ISSF conservation measure (CM) requiring its participating companies to reduce annual sourcing of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna. ISSF Conservation Measure 1.3 IOTC Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding becomes effective in the event that the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) does not take action at its June 2021 annual meeting to effectively implement IOTC scientific committee advice on the reduction of yellowfin catch. The new measure is included in ISSF’s recently released IOTC position statement.

“For more than a year, ISSF and our partners have been urging IOTC to heed scientific advice and act to protect Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna. But the Commission has repeatedly failed to adopt effective measures to rebuild the yellowfin stock, including at its special meeting held in March 2021,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “ISSF and its participating companies are committed to the long term sustainable use of the valuable Indian Ocean tuna resources. We will take steps as needed—with scientific guidance in mind—when fisheries management falls short. And we will do so transparently through a well-established audit and compliance reporting process.”

The most recent advice from the IOTC Scientific Committee (SC) recommends a reduction in yellowfin tuna catches to less than 403,000 tonnes annually, which would represent, at a minimum, an 11% reduction from 2019 catches. ISSF CM 1.3 requires ISSF participating companies to reduce annual sourcing of Indian Ocean origin yellowfin by 11%, calculated with respect to the company’s average annual level of Indian Ocean yellowfin purchases from 2017-2019. The measure also requires companies to issue public statements on their company websites describing their commitment to and implementation of the measure. ISSF CM 1.3 will go into effect on July 31, 2021 if IOTC, once again, fails to adopt a measure to effectively implement the most recent IOTC SC advice at its annual meeting in June.

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

IOTC Position Statement

ISSF has also included recommendations on the IOTC yellowfin rebuilding plan in its IOTC position statement for the June Commission meeting, which outlines these ‘asks’:

  1. Adopt without delay an effective rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna which, if implemented effectively, would imply a reduction to a total catch between 350,000 and 403,000 tonnes.
  2. Address over-catches in contravention of Resolution 19/01.
  3. Urgently monitor and manage catches of skipjack to ensure catches in 2021 do not exceed the limit set by the adopted Harvest Control Rule.
  4. Accelerate the develop Management Procedures and agree on permanent Limit and Target Reference Points for tropical and temperate tunas, particularly yellowfin, by 2022.
  5. Request the Scientific Committee to provide science-based limits on FAD deployments and/or FAD sets; develop in 2021 and adopt, by 2022, FAD marking guidelines and FAD tracking and recovery policies; and require the use of biodegradable materials in the construction of FADs and establish a timeline for transitioning to 100% biodegradable.
  6. Establish the Working Group on Electronic Monitoring (EM) and develop EM program minimum standards by 2022. Require 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) in industrial tuna fisheries, including all those engaged in at sea transshipment, by 2024.

The complete ISSF IOTC position statement is available online: https://iss-foundation.org/what-we-do/influence/position-statements/download-info/2021-iotc-position-statement-for-june-2021-meeting/

About ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance Process

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.

ISSF recently released its ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report, which ISSF published in coordination with its recent annual report Staying the Course. In addition to a summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that detail each organization’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual company compliance reports on its website.

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — a global coalition of seafood companies, fisheries experts, scientific and environmental organizations, and the vessel community — promotes science-based initiatives for long-term tuna conservation, FAD management, bycatch mitigation, marine ecosystem health, capacity management, and illegal fishing prevention. Helping global tuna fisheries meet sustainability criteria to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification standard — without conditions — is ISSF’s ultimate objective. To learn more, visit iss-foundation.org, and follow ISSF on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Milestone reached as China assigns first on-board observers to distant-water fishing vessel

April 19, 2021 — Five Chinese government-appointed observers have departed a Chinese port onboard a reefer, in what is potentially a major development for China’s governance of its distant-water fleet.

The five observers, appointed by China’s Agriculture Ministry, are the first such observers to travel on Chinese fishing vessels, according to the ministry. They are now travelling on the transport ship to the Pacific and Indian oceans to ensure that “no illegal catches” are taken, according to a statement from the ministry.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

IOTC faces financial crunch as members delay payments

March 30, 2021 — The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is facing a financial crunch due to members delaying their 2021 subscription dues and outstanding arrears.

IOTC Executive Secretary Christopher O’Brien said only one-third of the 30 regional fishery management organization (RFMO) members have paid their 2021 subscriptions, and with the majority having not paid, total arrears have increased to USD 6.2 million (EUR 5.2 million) as of 18 March.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Scientific food systems help biodiversity, livelihoods

March 29, 2021 — The extraordinary recovery of stocks of the prized estuarine hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) fish, following restrictions on fishing imposed by the Bangladesh government, offers a lesson in how a scientifically-managed ‘food systems’ approach can manage trade-offs between livelihoods and conservation.

Almost 20 years ago, hilsa catches had fallen to a low of 199,000 tons annually, a fraction of the numbers seen in the previous decades, leaving half-a-million fishing families across the country struggling to make ends meet.

As a result of the ban on fishing over 22 days in October during the breeding season and 60 days in March and April to protect young hilsa, stocks are expected to recover to 550,000 tons.

Science-based adaptive co-management during the 2016—2019 period resulted in an average weight gain of each hilsa fish to 915 grams from 510 grams, with the result that the income of fisher households increased by 65 percent, leading to improved livelihood resilience and reduced poverty.

The conservation success story of hilsa that sustains the livelihoods of fishing communities in the Bay of Bengal is bound to be a highlight of the UN Food Systems Summit later this year.

Read the full story at PHYS.org

IOTC delays yellowfin decision, WWF declares decision “lost opportunity”

March 12, 2021 — A special session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) ended on Friday, 12 March, with the regulatory organization punting on any decision to further reduce limits on yellowfin tuna fishing.

According to environmental non-governmental organization WWF, IOTC member-states failed to agree on a proposal that would have implemented a 20 percent cut in regional yellowfin tuna catches compared to 2014 levels.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ISSF Statement on IOTC March 2021 Special Session – Indian Ocean Fisheries Managers Fail to Act for the Protection of Yellowfin Tuna Stocks

March 12, 2021 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

ISSF and its stakeholders called for immediate action by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) at its Special Session held virtually from March 8-12 to conserve the region’s overfished yellowfin stock.

Regrettably, this IOTC Special Session failed in its one goal — to agree on a science-based and enforceable rebuilding plan to ensure the long-term sustainable management of the overfished yellowfin tuna stock. The IOTC Scientific Committee’s advice on what was needed to prevent further declines in this overfished stock went unheeded.

We are disappointed that, once again, the Parties to the IOTC could not agree on a measure for managing such a critical resource. Delaying action until the June 2021 Commission Meeting risks further stock declines at a time when some nations already have exceeded existing inadequate yellowfin catch limits — and other parties are exempted from catch limits altogether.

ISSF calls on IOTC Parties to work collaboratively between now and June to develop a robust, science-based and enforceable conservation measure to rebuild the Indian Ocean yellowfin stock in two generations.

ISSF recognizes that the impacts of COVID-19 continue to challenge RFMOs in conducting their meetings but finds no reason that needed management action cannot be agreed to virtually.

ISSF will continue to pursue all opportunities to help guide IOTC and all tuna RFMOs, member governments, industry, vessels, FIPs and NGOs on the complex issues we must navigate together for sustainable global tuna stocks and their ecosystems.

MARCEL KROUSE: IOTC should approve yellowfin tuna catch cap

March 9, 2021 — Marcel Kroese is WWF’s global tuna lead and has been involved in marine conservation as a researcher and professional since 1992, with working experience in East and West Africa, the Pacific, and Central America.

Picture a tuna. No, not a can. A fish. It is sleek and strong. Its scales flash as it dives like a torpedo to depths of 1,000 meters. If it were a car, James Bond would drive it. If it were a cat, it would be a cheetah. Yet these spectacular, athletic sea creatures are not afforded the same awe and wonder by humans as the big cats. We value tuna as a luxury food or a more humble “shelf-stable protein,” which is handy when stocking up for a pandemic. Either way, they are just food.

Certainly, tuna have fed countless generations throughout human history. From the palm-fringed islands of the Pacific to the diverse nations of the Mediterranean, tuna have been part of the diet and part of the culture. But before they make it to the plate, they played a vital role in the functioning of the ocean ecosystem – because fish don’t just inhabit the ocean. They fuel it.

Read the full opinion piece at Seafood Source

Pressure builds for IOTC ahead of special session, with several groups calling for urgent action

March 5, 2021 — Many seafood supply chain players and industry stakeholders are calling on the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) for reforms as concerns surrounding heavy fishing in the region reach a boiling point in advance of the commission’s next meeting, set to run from 8 to 12 March, 2021.

The Global Tuna Alliance, the Tuna Protection Alliance, and several seafood companies are urging the inter-governmental organization – which is responsible for the management of Indian Ocean tuna fisheries – to impose an overall 20 percent cut in regional yellowfin tuna catch compared to 2014 levels.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Concerns emerge over IOTC delay of yellowfin tuna conservation plan

February 8, 2021 — The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) will maintain the status quo for the current yellowfin tuna conservation measures, barely three months after the organization had scheduled an emergency meeting for March 2021 to review its conservation plan.

In November 2020, the IOTC said its March 2021 meeting would focus on emerging trends of overfishing of yellowfin tuna, which delayed the stock’s rebuilding plan. However, advice issued 29 January by the IOTC’s scientific committee called on IOTC member-states to maintain the status quo until a new stock assessment is completed, likely to occur later this year.

Read the full story at Seafood Source