Saving Seafood

87% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels, While 10% Require Stronger Management

December 10, 2020 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 87% came from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the newest International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 10% of the total tuna catch came from overfished stocks and 3% from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance. The previous version of this report was published by ISSF in March 2020. This updated report reflects results of tuna RFMO meetings through October 2020, and the next version will include results of RFMO meetings that have taken place more recently or are taking place now.

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

  • The Atlantic Ocean bigeye, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Pacific bluefin tuna stocks are currently overfished and subject to overfishing.
  • Indian Ocean albacore and bigeye are subject to overfishing.
  • All skipjack and most albacore stocks are healthy.

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

  • The abundance rating for Eastern Pacific Ocean bigeye has been downgraded from green to yellow, but the fishing mortality rating of that stock has improved from orange to yellow.
  • Both the fishing mortality rate ratio and abundance rating for Eastern Pacific Ocean yellowfin have improved from orange to green. This was primarily due to changes in the stock assessment methodology used.

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

Key Statistics in the Report

  • Abundance or “spawning biomass” levels: Globally, 65% of the 23 stocks are at healthy levels of abundance, 13% are overfished and 22% are at an intermediate level.
  • Fishing mortality levels: 74% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate, and 22% are experiencing overfishing.
  • Total catch: The catch of major commercial tuna stocks was 5.2 million tonnes in 2018, an 8% increase from 2017. 58% was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (29%), bigeye (8%) and albacore (4%). Bluefin tunas accounted for 1% of the global catch.
  • Largest tuna catches by stock: The five largest catches in tonnes, unchanged since the previous report, are Western Pacific Ocean skipjack, Western Pacific Ocean yellowfin, Indian Ocean skipjack, Indian Ocean yellowfin and Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack.
  • Tuna production by fishing gear: 65% of the catch is made by purse seining, followed by longline (10%), pole-and-line (8%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous gears (13%).  These percentages changed minimally since the previous report.

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

The Pandemic’s Impact on the Status of the Stocks  

This is the first update to this report since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic started to impact the work of the RFMOs. In particular, meetings of the scientific committees and commissions have been scheduled on different dates than usual, and this has delayed this update.

Furthermore, readers should be aware that RFMOs issued exemptions to certain monitoring requirements such as observer coverage. As such, the summaries of management measures provided for the stocks, particularly in relation to observer coverage, may not be completely accurate in reflecting the monitoring that is ongoing during this exceptional period.

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 twice 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 Status of the Stocks reports annually 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 presents 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 abundance and exploitation health indicators by catch or stock and filter by location and species as well as be informed about the share of total catch by species/stocks and gear types.

Global sustainable fishing initiative agreed by 14 countries

December 4, 2020 — Governments responsible for 40% of the world’s coastlines have pledged to end overfishing, restore dwindling fish populations and stop the flow of plastic pollution into the seas in the next 10 years.

The leaders of the 14 countries set out a series of commitments on Wednesday that mark the world’s biggest ocean sustainability initiative, in the absence of a fully fledged UN treaty on marine life.

The countries – Australia, Canada, Chile, Fiji, Ghana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Palau and Portugal – will end harmful subsidies that contribute to overfishing, a key demand of campaigners. They will also aim to eliminate illegal fishing through better enforcement and management, and to minimise bycatch and discards, as well as implementing national fisheries plans based on scientific advice.

Each of the countries, members of the High Level Panel for Sustainable Ocean Economy, has also pledged to ensure that all the areas of ocean within its own national jurisdiction – known as exclusive economic zones – are managed sustainably by 2025. That amounts to an area of ocean roughly the size of Africa.

Read the full story at The Guardian

MASSACHUSETTS: Long a lifeblood, South Shore fishing industry faces numerous challenges

October 6, 2020 — Over his more than five decades fishing commercially, Frank Mirarchi has watched the business evolve from thriving and straightforward to complicated and diminished, with skyrocketing costs, foreign competition and changing regulations choking an industry synonymous with the South Shore.

In the late 1960s, when he purchased his first of three successive boats, fish was abundant enough to make a solid living off of.

“You worked hard, you caught a lot of fish, the fish were actually enough to compensate you for their cost,” he said.

In the 70s, he had two other men work on his boat with them, and their catch was enough to support all three families.

But the technologically-advanced equipment and permits have gotten prohibitively expensive for many, while regulations aimed at replenishing overfished populations have not been successful, Mirachi said.

Up until the 1970s, fishing was largely unregulated. In 1976, the US government extended its jurisdiction from 12 miles off coast to 200, eliminating foreign competition and leading to a rush of new US fishermen, creating a fish scarcity from overfishing.

“By 1985 or so, fishing was pretty bad,” Mirachi said. With profits dropping, he switched from having two other crew members to one.

Read the full story at Wicked Local

Nation’s Fishery Councils Recommend Ways to Support American Seafood, Improve Coordination with NMFS

September 30, 2020 — An executive order, changes to National Environmental Policy Act measures, guidance related to overfishing and a National Seafood Council were among several issues fishery leaders from around the country discussed last week. The biannual meeting of the Council Coordination Committee was held virtually, but hosted by Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

Leaders from all eight regional councils had the opportunity to talk with National Marine Fisheries Service managers during the open public meeting.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Agency Must Rebuild Atlantic Cod Stocks, Lawsuit Says

September 1, 2020 — The National Marine Fisheries Service is failing to develop a plan to rebuild Atlantic cod stocks that have been depleted by overfishing, according to a lawsuit filed in a Washington federal court.

The agency’s failure is arbitrary and capricious and violates the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act, under which NMFS has a mandatory duty to rebuild fisheries as quickly as possible, according to the lawsuit filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

Read the full story at Bloomberg Law

Regulators find shad, an important fish, are ‘depleted’

August 11, 2020 — Overfishing, dams and pollution are among the factors that have steeply reduced the population of an ecologically important fish on the East Coast, regulators have said.

The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission recently completed an assessment of the population of American shad and found it to be “depleted,” the commission said. Changing ocean conditions and climate change have also likely played a role in reducing the fish’s population from historic levels, it said.

Read the full story at the Associated Press

Are All U.S. Sharks Overfished?

August 10, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

The world’s oceans are home to around 500 species of sharks. With so many species, it’s difficult to talk about the status of shark stocks overall. Regardless of the species, federal laws and regulations work to ensure that shark fisheries in the United States are healthy going into the future.

Read the facts below to learn more about what it means to be overfished and how we sustainably manage our shark fisheries.

1. U.S. law requires that shark fishing rules foster long-term biological and economic sustainability.

Fishery management in U.S. federal waters is governed primarily by the Magnuson-Stevens Act. First passed in 1976, the act requires that all fishery management plans meet 10 National Standards. That means the approximately 50 species of sharks managed in federal waters are fished under rules designed to:

  • Prevent overfishing
  • Rebuild overfished stocks
  • Increase long-term economic and social benefits of fisheries
  • Ensure a safe and sustainable seafood supply

Gulf of Mexico blacktip sharks are a good example of these rules at work. A popular food fish, blacktip sharks experienced a slight population decline in the 1990s. We established a quota specifically for this population in 2015. That combined with retention limits tied to other commercially valuable species contributed to a higher population today than the target level set by scientists.

Learn more about U.S. fisheries management

Understand why U.S.-caught sharks are a sustainable food choice

2. The terms “overfished” and “threatened” mean different things.

It’s a common misconception that overfished species are at risk of extinction. But the categories of overfished and overfishing are not directly related to threatened and endangered designations under the Endangered Species Act.

To understand the difference, it helps to know another term: maximum sustainable yield. This is the largest catch level that a species can sustain over a long period of time. If a stock is declared overfished, that means its numbers have fallen too low to produce its maximum sustainable yield. An overfished status doesn’t say anything directly about whether the species is endangered or likely to become endangered.

NOAA Fisheries is dedicated to rebuilding overfished stocks. Of the 43 shark stocks managed in the Atlantic Ocean, six are overfished. We have put rebuilding plans in place for each of these with strict catch limits based on the best available science. These limits are closely monitored and enforced.

Learn more about efforts to rebuild sandbar shark populations

Learn more about how retention limits help us sustainably manage shark fisheries

3. Our largest shark fisheries target healthy stocks.

The vast majority of sharks harvested in the United States are species with above-target population levels. In the Atlantic, for example, 94 percent of all U.S. shark landings in 2018—including bycatch—were of five species, which are neither overfished nor subject to overfishing:

  • Spiny dogfish shark
  • Smooth dogfish shark
  • Gulf of Mexico blacktip shark
  • Atlantic sharpnose shark
  • Finetooth shark

Two of these—spiny dogfish and Gulf of Mexico blacktip—have actually experienced population growth over recent decades.

Learn more about how spiny dogfish have benefited from sustainable management

Read the full release here

NOAA: number of US stocks on the overfishing list reach record low in 2019

July 30, 2020 — Ninety-three percent of the 321 US fishing stocks where a determination can be made are not subject to overfishing, according to figures released Tuesday by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in its Fisheries Economics of the United States 2019 report.

The report outlines the status of managed stocks or stock complexes in the US to determine which stocks are subject to overfishing, are overfished, or are rebuilt to sustainable levels.

NOAA Fisheries manages 461 stocks or stock complexes in 46 fishery management plans. Each year, it determine the status of fish stocks and stock complexes through stock assessments. Of 461 stocks and stock complexes, 321 have a known overfishing status and 244 have a known overfished status.

At the end of 2019, there were 22 stocks on the overfishing list and 46 on the overfished list.

Read the full story at IntraFish

Overfishing In U.S. Reaches All-Time Low, NOAA Says

July 29, 2020 — While overfishing continues to remain a serious problem globally, its rate in the U.S. has reached an all-time low, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which said the outlooks for fish populations “continue to be strong, successful and achieving long-term sustainability goals.”

KEY FACTS

  • 7% of fish stocks, populations of fish in specific areas, with a known status, were subject to overfishing in 2019, according to NOAA—the lowest rate ever reported
  • Overfishing occurs when the harvest rate for a fish stock is too high.
  • The scientific knowledge of fishing impacts has continued to improve, according to NOAA, which appears to be a major reason behind the American progress in rebuilding fisheries over the years.
  • The overall outlook for fish stocks in the U.S. is strong, according to NOAA, though the fishing industry in the U.S. and around the world has taken a hit from the coronavirus pandemic.
  • In the CARES Act, the coronavirus stimulus package signed into law in March, $300 million was set aside specifically to help the fishing community.

CRITICAL QUOTE

“It’s important we acknowledge the achievements in sustainable fisheries made in recent years by fishermen, industries, scientists, managers and conservationists across our nation. These updates are a testament to their outstanding work,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross.

Read the full story at Forbes

FB20-040: Request for Comments: Proposed Rule to Revise the Annual Catch Limit for Gray Snapper in the Gulf of Mexico

July 6, 2020 — The following was released by NOAA Fisheries:

KEY MESSAGE:

NOAA Fisheries requests your comments on a proposed rule implementing regulations from Amendment 51 to the Fishery Management Plan (FMP) for the Reef Fish Resources of the Gulf of Mexico (Amendment 51). The proposed rule would reduce the annual catch limit for Gulf of Mexico gray snapper. This rule would not change any existing gray snapper bag limits or size limits. Amendment 51 established or revised overfished and overfishing thresholds. Overfishing is when too many fish are being caught and overfished is when the number of fish in a population is too low.

Comments are due by August 5, 2020.

SUMMARY OF PROPOSED CHANGES:

The proposed rule would reduce the annual catch limit from 2.42 million pounds whole weight (mp ww) to 2.24 mp ww for the 2020 fishing year, and 2.23 mp ww for 2021 and subsequent fishing years.

HOW TO COMMENT ON THE PROPOSED RULE:

The comment period is open now through August 5, 2020. You may submit comments by electronic submission or by postal mail. Comments sent by any other method (such as e-mail), to any other address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, may not be considered by NOAA Fisheries.

Read the full release here