December 3, 2021 — Blue bait or tori lines: Which is better for saving seabirds?
To the Scientific and Statistical Committee of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council, tori lines.
The SSC continued to support replacing blue-dyed fish bait and strategic offal discard requirements in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery with tori lines for seabird bycatch mitigation when it met recently.
Read the full story at SeafoodNews.com
December 1, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
The Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council continued to support replacing blue-dyed fish bait and strategic offal discard requirements in the Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery with tori lines for seabird bycatch mitigation. Results from field experiments conducted in the past three years under an experimental fishing permit showed that Laysan and black-footed albatross were 4 times less likely to come in contact with baited hooks when participating vessels used tori lines, or bird scaring lines, versus blue-dyed bait. Tori lines have proved effective in other longline fisheries around the world.
SSC members discussed various impacts the management alternatives could have on the U.S. longline commercial fishery, including additional crew time required to create and clean up the blue-dyed bait. The SSC supports removal of strategic offal discharge as a requirement since there is inconclusive scientific evidence that it provides a conservation benefit, especially in light of the tori line effect on seabird interaction rates. In lieu of this requirement, the management measure would include best practice training for longline vessel owners and operators on offal management at the required annual National Marine Fisheries Service protected species workshop.
The SSC provides scientific advice to the Council, which is considering modifications to a regulatory amendment to improve seabird conservation. The Hawai‘i deep-set longline fishery, which targets bigeye tuna, has been using a suite of seabird mitigation measures since 2001 under the Council’s Pelagic Fishery Ecosystem Plan.
After reviewing a workshop report on American Samoa bottomfish data evaluation, the SSC supported a single-species management approach for the next stock assessment scheduled for 2023. The American Samoa bottomfish fishery is managed in an 11-species complex, which is overfished and experiencing overfishing, according to a 2019 Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) assessment. The PIFSC Stock Assessment Program reported there are sufficient data to explore the use of single-species assessments for most managed bottomfish species except for pink snapper (palu-‘ena‘ena, Pristipomoides filamentosus).
The report summarized information collected from six systems and highlighted the data quantity, quality and changes over time. The catch per unit effort data from the creel surveys and the resulting estimated catch are highly uncertain, particularly for species that are not well represented in the surveys. However, there is sufficient information for a single species, age-based assessment using length information from the PIFSC diver surveys and biosampling program, and territory boat-based creel surveys.
Creel surveys collect general fisheries data provided voluntarily by commercial and noncommercial boat and shore fishermen. Moving forward with a single-species approach may require changes in conservation and management measures.
The SSC meeting continues tomorrow with discussions on pelagic and international fisheries. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agenda and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/event/142nd-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting.
November 29, 2021 — Tuna stocks globally are stable, but more needs to be done to improve science-based management at regional fishery management organizations, according to Susan Jackson, the president of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), a global coalition of seafood companies, fisheries experts, and scientific and environmental organizations.
The organization, which recently launched iss-foundation.org to showcase its data, has the ultimate goal of helping global tuna fisheries meet sustainability criteria to achieve the Marine Stewardship Council certification. ISSF members include leading tuna firms Bumble Bee, Thai Union, and Starkist, but the organization has no members from China, which is increasingly a key player in tuna fishing, processing, and consumption.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
November 29, 2021 — The following was released by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council:
Scientists will meet Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2021, to provide advice and comments to the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council on domestic seabird conservation measures, tagging studies to inform management decisions, tropical tuna annual catch limits and other topics. The Council’s Scientific and Statistical Committee (SSC) meeting will be held virtually and is open to the public. The full agenda, background documents and instructions for connecting to the meeting and providing oral public comments are available at www.wpcouncil.org/event/142nd-scientific-and-statistical-committee-virtual-meeting. Among the agenda items are the following:
Revisions for Seabird Conservation Measures
The SSC will consider an impact analysis of management alternatives to help the Hawai‘i longline fishery avoid hooking seabirds. The Council is evaluating using tori lines, or bird scaring lines, as part of a suite of mitigation measures that have been in place since 2002.
Two field trials to develop and test tori lines in the deep-set longline fishery were conducted in 2019-2021 under a cooperative research project between the Council, Hawaii Longline Association and Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC). Results show that tori lines are significantly more effective in preventing longline gear interactions with black-footed and Laysan albatrosses than an existing method of using blue-dyed bait.
Cutting-Edge Research
The SSC will discuss reports on research that could inform future management decisions. PIFSC will describe a collaborative research program aimed at reducing depredation rates and mortality of sharks incidentally captured in small-scale fisheries around Hawai‘i. The Hawai‘i Community Tagging Program (“Shark Tagger” program) was created to facilitate outreach to resource users and to bridge the gap between scientists, fishers and managers.
Another study looks at yellowfin tuna movement patterns in the eastern and central Pacific Ocean. Tuna were tagged and released in specific areas to allow scientists to track their dispersion and interaction with oceanic conditions. Knowing the stock structure of these tunas helps managers make appropriate management decisions.
An SSC working group on area-based management will also present its plan to achieve the goals of the Biden Administration’s 30×30 Initiative and the United Nations’ international negotiations to conserve and sustainably use ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Possible Tropical Tuna Quota Increase
The SSC will hear about U.S. preparations for the 18th Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), which will be held virtually Nov. 28 to Dec. 6, 2021. Key topics include a revised tropical tuna (bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack) conservation and management measure, South Pacific albacore tuna management and a U.S. proposal to strengthen international shark measures by banning wire leaders in longline fisheries, as the Council recommended this year for the Hawai‘i longline fishery.
The Permanent Advisory Committee to the U.S. delegation recommended the United States propose an increase of at least 3,000 metric tons (mt) to the current domestic longline catch limit of 3,554 mt for bigeye tuna. The increase would not exceed management objectives since nearly 10,000 mt of accepted catch among other nations goes unused annually. The Hawai‘i longline fishery has more than 20% observer coverage (international requirement is 5%), does not transship at-sea and operates in a portion of the ocean where regional depletion of bigeye tuna has been estimated to be minimal.
The WCPFC is responsible for the waters around Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Islands. The Commission meets annually in December to review stock assessments and other information from sub-groups and committees that start meeting in July.
American Samoa Bottomfish Data Workshops
PIFSC will report on a data workshop held with Council and American Samoa fisheries staffs to evaluate data to be used for the next American Samoa bottomfish benchmark stock assessment to be completed in 2023. The SSC’s working group will report on their meeting with PIFSC and Council staffs on the availability, quality and appropriateness of the data for use in various stock assessment models.
Recommendations made by the SSC on these and other matters will be considered by the Council when it meets Dec. 7-9, 2021, virtually, with host sites at Tedi of Samoa Building, Suite 208B, Fagatogo Village, American Samoa; BRI Building, Suite 205, Kopa Di Oru St., Garapan, Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI); and Cliff Pointe, 304 W. O’Brien Dr., Hagatña, Guam. Instructions on connecting to the web conference, agendas and briefing documents are posted at www.wpcouncil.org/meetings-calendars. Host sites are subject to local and federal safety and health guidelines regarding COVID-19; check the Council website for updates.
November 24, 2021 — The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), approved increases to the total allowable catch (TAC) of bluefin and bigeye at its annual meeting, which ended Tuesday, 23 November.
ICCAT is the regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) responsible for conservation of tunas and tuna-like species in the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent seas, including the Mediterranean. ICCAT fishery managers agreed to raise the Atlantic bluefin TAC for the western side of the Atlantic by 376 MT, or 16 percent, from 2,350 MT to 2,726 MT, as the 2021 western Atlantic bluefin tuna stock assessment estimates that the total biomass has increased by 9 percent between 2017 and 2020. This was a reversal from the 2020 meeting, when discussions revolved around reducing the total allowable catch. TAC for the eastern Atlantic is unchanged. The total quota for Atlantic bluefin tuna for 2022 will be 3,483 MT.
November 24, 2021 — The pelagic ocean covers over 50 percent of the planet’s surface and many of the species that call it home travel thousands of miles each year, seeking food and suitable nursery grounds. Some of these species end up in your favorite sushi—like Bigeye tuna—while others are some of the most imperiled on the planet, like leatherback sea turtles. Catching one without catching the other has challenged commercial fishers, scientists and fisheries managers to develop innovative solutions.
“In the last several decades, we have seen major improvements to bycatch reduction,” said T. Todd Jones, Fisheries Research and Monitoring Division director for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. “We see as much as a 60 to 90 percent reduction in bycatch rates for endangered marine turtles due to gear improvement, for example. The goal is to refine that further.”
Recent efforts by UF/IFAS researchers attempt to do just that by drawing imaginary lines in the vast, open ocean, a seemingly impossible task. But using artificial intelligence, scientists are making progress toward protecting endangered species that are not meant to be caught.
November 22, 2021 — The Taiwan Tuna Association has teamed up with the National Chung Cheng University to trial a video-monitoring system aboard its fishing vessels, aimed at stamping out labor abuses.
The TTA said it’s using a government grant to install the surveillance systems on its distant-water fishing vessels, allowing onshore monitoring and the use of blockchain to guarantee the validity of the captured data. The move comes as part of a three-year experimental project titled “Fulfilling the Protection of Human Rights at Sea and Supporting the Sustainable Development of Fisheries with Technology: Establishing Person-Centered Decent Labor Policies in Distant Water Fisheries.” The project is funded in part by Taiwan’s Ministry of Science and Technology, which plans to set up a communication platform for stakeholders “utilizing advanced technologies, such as big data and blockchain,” according to the TTA.
November 17, 2021 — More than one hundred companies in the tuna supply chain have sent a letter to the heads of delegations of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), urging them to develop and adopt harvest strategies across all the tuna stocks the regional fishery management organization oversees.
Walmart, Whole Foods, Costco, Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, Target, and Kroger were among the signors of the letter, which said harvest control strategies are necessary to ensure the RFMO’s tuna fisheries retain their Marine Stewardship Council certifications.
Read the full story at SeafoodSource
November 15, 2021 — Pescatarians may want to avoid eating Subway’s tuna, if one is to believe the allegations in a revived lawsuit questioning the ingredients in the restaurant chain’s seafood.
Nineteen of 20 tuna samples from Subway outlets throughout Southern California contained animal protein including chicken, pork or cattle, but no discernible tuna DNA, according to the latest complaint filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in California.
Subway dismissed the claims in the amended suit, the third filed this year, as “meritless” and defended its fish as “high-quality, wild-caught, 100% tuna.” The company’s lawyers are in the process of reviewing the claim and plan to file a new motion to dismiss what they called a “reckless and improper lawsuit.”
Read the full story at CBS News
November 10, 2021 – A new study of western Atlantic bluefin tuna population data is expected to improve management practices and a valuable marketplace for fishermen from Maine to Texas.
Thousands of commercial and recreational fishermen capture the tuna, one of the strongest and fastest predators in the open ocean, off the East Coast each year.
The tuna is “among the most sought-after commercial fish in the world’s oceans,” University of Maine assistant professor Walt Golet said in a news release.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration awarded Golet, a research assistant professor with the School of Marine Sciences, more than $276,000 to lead a team of researchers who will collect and analyze updated the animal’s population data. The new data will help reduce uncertainties in assessment models that estimate the amount of fish in the fishery, which can help guide management practices and prevent overfishing, he said.
Golet was also awarded almost $300,000 from NOAA for a project to help bolster the industry. The research includes developing best practices for handling, particularly cleaning and chilling the fish, and outreach to improve consumer perceptions and markets.