Tuna Archives - Page 15 of 57

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.

IATTC leaves tropical tuna unmanaged as meeting fails to reach consensus by one vote

December 8, 2020 — The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) has failed to reach a consensus on the management of tropical tunas by one vote – with Colombia opposing the resolution – leaving tuna fisheries without any rules starting on 1 January.

The tropical tuna fishery – which includes bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks – includes billions of dollars of catch. With the failure to reach a consensus – the first time in the IATTC’s history – the fishery is left without any form of management, including quotas, gear types, and more. While individual countries can choose to implement regulations matching the proposed IATTC resolution, region-wide rules will end.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

Eastern Pacific Tuna Fishing Will Be Unregulated After January 1

December 8, 2020 — The international rules and regulations covering the catch of tuna in the Eastern Pacific are about to go away. On January 1, the fisheries for bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin tuna will be wide open and ungoverned because the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission concluded its annual meeting without an agreement, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Guillermo Moran, the headof Ecuadorian fishing industry group Tuna Conservation Group (Tunacons), told Undercurrent News that the only nation standing in the way of the 2021 regulatory scheme was Colombia. IATTC operates by consensus, and without 100 percent agreement, the group cannot issue regulations.

“For the first time in its 70-year history, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission has completely withdrawn from management of tropical tunas. To remedy this abdication of responsibility, IATTC and its member governments should immediately schedule a special session to set rules for 2021. Unless IATTC takes this emergency action, starting Jan. 1 there will be . . . no restrictions on what gear can be used; and no consequences for the resulting harm that may occur,” said Amanda Nickson, director of international fisheries for The Pew Charitable Trusts. “When meeting participants can’t reach consensus, the default should never be to simply suspend management of species . . . The need to responsibly manage fish stocks worldwide calls out for significant reforms in the predictability and stability of decision-making.”

Read the full story at The Maritime Executive

ISSF: IATTC Fails to Preserve Tuna Conservation and FAD Measures at Annual Meeting

December 8, 2020 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The following release was updated on December 9, 2020 to reflect changes made by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

Last month, ISSF and its partners appealed to the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) to, at a minimum, act to ensure its current measures on tuna conservation and management do not lapse and stay in place for 2021. ISSF outlined its science-based recommendations to IATTC in our position statement.

Unfortunately, IATTC ended its Nov. 30–Dec. 4 virtual Commission meeting without keeping crucial “status quo” measures in place:

First, the Commission could not agree to extend its current resolution for tropical tuna species for 2021, leaving the entire fishery for bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna stocks without management measures. Fishing effort and catch limit provisions for these stocks are no longer in place.
Second, IATTC did not extend into 2021 the requirements to limit the number of active FADs.

Despite the clear scientific advice to, at a minimum, keep these provisions intact, the objection of one party blocked their extension. As a result, the sustainability of the region’s tropical tuna fisheries and marine ecosystems is now at risk.

IATTC’s inaction is a breakdown of its responsibility to ensure the long-term sustainable use of Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) tuna resources. In response to the Commission’s flagrant failings, ISSF urges all IATTC parties to exercise restraint and take the precautionary approach by voluntarily continuing to apply the previously in-effect provisions throughout 2021. Doing so will help keep fishing mortality at a level consistent with IATTC objectives.

ISSF calls upon IATTC to urgently organize an emergency session of the Commission early in 2021 to put in place binding conservation measures that will apply immediately.

We recognize that pandemic lockdowns and travel limitations have made substantive discussions and consensus-building especially difficult this year. But RFMOs and national governments will remain in this situation for the foreseeable future — and they need to adapt, as other organizations worldwide have, to the new reality. The virtual meeting format does not prevent or excuse them from ensuring detailed, inclusive discussions and taking decisive action to protect global tuna stocks and their marine ecosystems.

Western Pacific Council Pushes Bigeye Tuna Increase; OKs Industry-led Shark Mitigation Measure

December 7, 2020 — More bigeye tuna may be available for U.S. fishermen in the Pacific next year, if U.S. fishery managers can successfully negotiate the proposed increase.

Read the full story at Seafood News

Plenty of fish in the sea? Scientists can now count them using DNA

December 7, 2020 — One liter of ocean water can not only unlock the recent presence of dozens of species — it can also reveal the relative number of these fish.

According to the most extensive comparison of its kind, the relative abundance of DNA from different species found from ocean water samples taken off the coast of New Jersey correlates well with the data gathered by the more expensive and destructive technique of bottom trawling.

“It’s really going to be a game change for ocean science, with many applications,” said Mark Stoeckle, an environmental genetics researcher at Rockefeller University in New York City. He added that as DNA analysis becomes cheaper and more accurate, analyzing environmental DNA could be used for everything from tracking fluctuations in fish stocks due to fishing operations, to cataloguing the effects of climate change on species diversity and abundance.

Read the full story at ABC News

WCPFC to consider rollover of tropical tuna measure in upcoming virtual meeting

December 4, 2020 — The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission will hold its regular annual session from 7 to 15 December, with the renewal of the tropical tuna measure on bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin billed as the main topic up for discussion.

The meeting, WCPFC17, has been complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced the commission to meet virtually, according to WCPFC Executive Director Feleti Teo.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

U.S. Pacific Fishery Managers Urge Increase in U.S. Bigeye Tuna Quota at Upcoming Multilateral Meeting, Support New Industry-Backed Shark Conservation Measures

December 4, 2020 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:

The Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council supported the U.S. proposal to revise the conservation and management measure for tropical tunas, which expires in February 2021, and increase the U.S. bigeye tuna quota by 3,000 metric tons (mt) to 6,554 mt. The annual meeting of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (Commission), an international fishery management organization, begins (virtually) next week. The stock is not overfished nor experiencing overfishing. In the past, U.S. negotiations in the Commission have failed to increase its bigeye tuna quota. The United States has the smallest catch quota of the member nations, yet it contributes the highest observer coverage and the highest compliance record. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, observer coverage has been maintained.

The United States has been generous to member countries of the Commission. In 2018, the United States Agency for International Development reported $1.6 billion went to Commission members, mainly supporting economic development. “U.S. fisheries are the best managed in the world and the Hawaiʻi longline fishery deserves an increase in their bigeye quota,” said Council Executive Director Kitty Simonds. The Council also endorsed the U.S. proposal for North Pacific striped marlin that supports meeting the rebuilding plan adopted by the Commission.

To meet Magnuson-Stevens Act domestic obligations regarding overfishing of striped marlin, the Council directed the staff to prepare a regulatory measure that uses the best scientific information available (BSIA) to reduce domestic catches relative to 2013-2017 as advised in a 2019 stock assessment.

A conservation effort developed by the Hawaiʻi deep-set longline fishing industry to further reduce interactions and post-hooking deaths of oceanic whitetip sharks, leatherback turtles and other protected species will be considered for incorporation into the Pacific Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan, at the direction of the Council. The Council directed staff to prepare a regulatory amendment by its March 2021 meeting that, among other measures, evaluates options prohibiting wire leaders in the fishery.

The Hawaii Longline Association (HLA) presented its initiative to voluntarily change the fleet’s gear to the Council which met in Honolulu this week. The proposal would replace the current wire leaders used on fishing gear with monofilament ones, which are better for the species that occasionally interact with them.

“The fishing gear transition from wire to monofilament nylon leaders is transformational for our fleet,” said HLA Executive Director Eric Kingma. Council member Michael Tosatto, regional administrator of the National Marine Fisheries Service Pacific Islands Regional Office, said, “We at NOAA Fisheries applaud HLA for this proactive, positive development and we are committed to helping industry with its implementation.”

Whether or not any proposed regulatory change could be implemented before next summer, the HLA has committed to making this change on all of the vessels operated by their members no later than July 2021. The HLA is currently evaluating changes to fishing procedures to ensure that the gear change can be made while minimizing risk of injury to crewmembers.

The Council concluded the first day of its three-day virtual meeting yesterday with discussions and recommendations regarding pelagic and international fisheries. The meeting continues through Dec. 4, 2020, by web conference (Webex). Instructions on connecting to Webex, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars.

The Council manages federal fisheries operating in waters offshore of the State of Hawai‘i, the Territories of American Samoa and Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands and the U.S. Pacific Remote Islands Areas.

ISSF adds social and labor standards to membership requirements

November 24, 2020 — The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has added new labor and social standards to its requirements for member companies, which include tuna processors, traders, importers, transporters, marketers, and more.

The new standard – Conservation Measure 9.1 Public Policy on Social and Labor Standards – will require any business associated with ISSF to develop, and publish, social and labor standards and/or a sourcing policy that applies to the entire supply chain, which addresses forced labor; child labor; freedom of association; wages, benefits, and employment contracts; working hours; health and safety; discrimination, harassment, and abuse; and grievance mechanisms. The policy must be public – meaning it must be at a minimum available to the general public.

Read the full story at Seafood Source

ISSF Position Statements Outline Priorities for Three Tuna RFMOs as They Prepare for Online Annual Meetings

November 19, 2020 — The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published its position statements in advance of three regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) meetings this fall: the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Annual Meeting, which is being conducted by correspondence; the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) 95th Meeting, to be held virtually November 30-December 4; and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) 17th Regular Session, to be held virtually December 8-15.

The impacts of COVID-19 have challenged RFMOs in conducting their meetings in 2020. All tuna RFMOs have had to cancel or postpone some in-person meetings and hold others virtually or by other means.

“Despite the limitations created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ISSF believes that RFMOs have a duty to continue making progress on the long-term sustainable use of tuna stocks,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “RFMOs have come a long way in recent years — on the adoption of measures for FAD management, harvest control rules, stronger vessel monitoring systems, and increased observer coverage and standards for electronic monitoring or reporting— but still have a long way to go. There are significant challenges brought about by this pandemic, both in terms of decision-making and monitoring, but they are not insurmountable, and we believe progress can and must be made to ensure the sustainable management of global tuna stocks and marine ecosystems.”

Priority positions for each of these three RFMOs are outlined below.

ISSF Recommended Priorities for ICCAT (Meeting By Correspondence)

Ensure that Recommendations that are about to partially or fully expire continue to be effective throughout 2021
Adopt a work plan for fish aggregating devices (FADs) with a timeframe to transition to FADs without nets and made primarily with biodegradable materials, develop recovery policies and a marking scheme, and require FAD position data and acoustic records
Accelerate the adoption of harvest strategies for tropical tunas
Adopt minimum standards for electronic monitoring to require 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) for all major ICCAT fisheries, and all vessels engaged in at-sea transshipment, within five years
Request the Compliance Committee to address the existing non-compliance with FAD data reporting requirements

ISSF Recommended Priorities for IATTC (Meeting November 30-December 4)

In 2020, adopt a robust conservation management measure to replace the expiring resolutions that is precautionary and based on scientific advice
Request the Scientific Staff to provide science-based limits on FAD numbers, deployments and/or sets; and amend resolutions in 2020 or 2021 to include clear timelines to develop FAD marking guidelines, transition to fully non-entangling FADs and the use of biodegradable materials, FAD recovery mechanisms, and provide FAD position data
In 2021, speed up development of management strategy evaluations (MSE) for bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin
Develop in 2021 a work plan for an electronic monitoring (EM) and e-reporting program and to establish fleet-wide observer program (either human or electronic) for small purse -seine vessels by 2022
By 2022, adopt Port State Measures
By 2021, establish a work plan for a scheme of responses to non-compliance and audit points

ISSF Recommended Priorities for WCPFC (Meeting December 8-15)

Ensure that the existing tuna conservation measure (CMM 2018-01) does not lapse
Adopt a work plan for FADs with a timeframe to transition to FADs without nets and made primarily with biodegradable materials, develop recovery policies and a marking scheme, and require FAD position data and acoustic records
Adopt minimum standards for the use of electronic monitoring in WCPFC fisheries
Advance the adoption of target reference points for bigeye and yellowfin and adopt a harvest control rule for skipjack
Accelerate the remaining work to reform the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), including allowing observer participation

Read the full IATTC, ICCAT and WCPFC Position Statements on the ISSF website. The IATTC and ICCAT Position Statements are also available in translation.

ISSF Global Priorities for Tuna RFMOs

ISSF is committed to advocating for science-based approaches, policies and conservation measures to advance tuna fisheries sustainability. Here are ISSF’s Global Priorities for four Tuna RFMOs — 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 management procedures, 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 and biodegradable FAD designs
Increased member compliance with all adopted measures, and greater transparency of processes reviewing member compliance with measures
Strengthened monitoring, control, and surveillance (MCS) measures and increased observer coverage, including through modern technologies such as electronic monitoring and e-reporting
Adoption of best-practice bycatch mitigation and shark conservation and management measures

About the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is a global coalition of scientists, the tuna industry and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) — the world’s leading conservation organization — promoting science-based initiatives for the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatch and promoting ecosystem health. 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.