Author: Lynne Mandel

Uneven Outcomes for WCPO Tuna Fisheries | ISSF Reviews WCPFC Annual Meeting

Written by Lynne Mandel on December 13, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

Uneven Outcomes for Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at Management Meeting

Some Progress on Tuna Conservation Measure and Observer Coverage at WCPFC, But No Improvements to FAD Management or Compliance Process Transparency

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently wrapped its annual meeting. Since the majority of the world’s tuna catch sourced from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), the gathering is always highly anticipated and closely watched.

This year’s meeting brought some positive outcomes for Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries, including a harvest control rule for North Pacific albacore, the adoption of an updated tropical tuna conservation measure, and moderate progress on electronic monitoring and observer coverage. But the Commission’s work fell far short in other areas, especially regarding increasing transparency in WCPFC compliance assessment processes and improving fish aggregating device (FAD) management.

ISSF fisheries policy experts Holly Koehler and Claire van der Geest review outcomes of the WCPFC meeting against our organization’s most critical asks.

Read the ISSF response

November 30 E News | Priorities for Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries | Improving Compliance Processes Tops the List

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 30, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

ISSF Urges WPCFC to Improve Compliance Processes, to Adopt New Tropical Tuna Conservation Measure and Harvest Control Rule for North Pacific Albacore Tuna

ISSF has issued its position statement for consideration by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) ahead of its 20^th regular session from December 4-8, 2023 in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The statement leads with a call for improved compliance processes.

“Regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) need strong and transparent compliance processes in order to meet their objectives, strengthen their performance, and be accountable to their many and diverse stakeholders,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Yet the WCPFC is the only tuna RFMO with a compliance assessment process that is closed to accredited observers. That’s why our position statement leads with a call for the Commission to develop guidelines for the observer participation in compliance assessment processes.”

Featured Content

Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries and the new MSC fisheries standard

In the world’s largest tuna fishing grounds, an important initiative is underway to ensure fisheries can meet the newest requirements of the leading seafood sustainability certification standard – the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) fisheries standard.

ISSF’s Dr. Victor Restrepo reviews how embracing a new pathway to harvest strategies now is helping some fisheries retain MSC certification, while more work remains for many other stocks.

Read the op-ed

Featured Resource

RFMO Best Practices Snapshot — 2023: Compliance Processes

Our “snapshots” identify best practices that RFMOs should follow to manage tuna fisheries sustainably. This snapshot identifies best practices in compliance processes, and then shows each RFMO’s progress in implementing those practices.

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ISSF in the News

Mixed outcomes at ICCAT annual session

FiskerForum

ISSF report indicates little change in global tuna sustainability since March

SeafoodSource

Mixed Results at ICCAT Annual Session | Compliance Reforms & EM Standards Among Positive Outcomes

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 21, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

ICCAT Meeting Outcomes

ISSF is welcoming some progress for Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries as the annual meeting of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concludes. While we were hoping for more fulsome headway against our priority asks this year, we are pleased that the Commission made some gains, specifically in adopting minimum standards for electronic monitoring and further advancing compliance improvements.

Here is a review of the outcomes of the ICCAT meeting against some of our organization’s priorities as outlined in our 2023 position statement.

Read the blog

85% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels | Track Stock Status Changes Over Time Using our Interactive Tool

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 16, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

85% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels

Stability in Stock Status Underscores Importance of Rigorous Scientific Monitoring to Support Decision-making

Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 85% comes from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the newest ISSF Status of the Stocks report. Overfished stocks accounted for 11% of the total catch, and 4% of the catch came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance.

No individual stock statuses have changed since the March 2023 Status of the Stocks report. The updated report incorporates recent stock-assessment results for Western Pacific bigeye, Western Pacific yellowfin, North Pacific albacore, North Atlantic albacore, and Southern bluefin, none of which has changed. The lack of substantial changes in stock status between report periods highlights the value of continuous scientific assessments to inform stock-management decisions.

Featured Resource

Interactive Stock Status Tool and Catch Tool

Our interactive tool allows you to visualize current and historical data from ISSF’s Status of the Stocks report, which compiles scientific assessments of 23 commercial tuna stocks worldwide.

The tool has three tabs — one for visualizing tuna stock health since 2011, another for visualizing the current tuna catch by fishing method, and a third with catch trends by fishing method since 1950.

Access the interactive tool

Featured Content

Understanding Tuna

There is not one individual fish called “tuna” – there are more than a dozen species of tuna worldwide. We highlight the major commercial tuna species on our website, reviewing characteristics, geographic locations, and more.

Learn more

ISSF in the News

Ahead of ICCAT meeting, NGOs call for better harvest strategies for Atlantic bigeye, yellowfin tuna fisheries

SeafoodSource

Priorities for Atlantic Ocean Tuna Fisheries | Improving Compliance Processes at RFMOs

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 26, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

ICCAT Position Statement

ISSF has outlined top “asks” for improved management of Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries in its position statement for the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) 28th regular meeting next month.

The statement leads with a call for action on continued improvements to ICCAT compliance processes, and it covers additional topics in these categories:

Tuna Stock Conservation
Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) Management
Electronic Monitoring and Reporting and Observer Coverage
Transshipment Regulation
Effective Management Procedures (Harvest Strategies)
Bycatch Mitigation and Shark Protections
Capacity Management

Read the Statement

Featured Resource

RFMO Best Practices Snapshot — Compliance Processes

This “snapshot” identifies best practices in compliance processes, and then shows the progress of each tuna regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) in implementing those practices.

Download

Featured Blog

Helping Fisheries Managers Better Monitor and Enforce Requirements for Member States

What good are regulations if they’re not followed? Why adopt policies without a strong plan to monitor adherence to them?

In an era of greater expectations for transparency and accountability, these are the questions stakeholders are increasingly asking of RFMOs. For tuna fisheries, a vital, global food source and economic engine, those expectations are especially heightened.

ISSF’s Holly Koehler, VP, Policy & Outreach, reviews how a group of policy experts is supporting RFMO efforts to strengthen compliance processes.

Read the blog

ICYMI

ISSF 2023-2027 Strategic Plan: Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability

Earlier this year, ISSF released a new strategic plan that lays out the organization’s mission and approach to achieving its tuna fisheries sustainability objective across the next five years.

“Through a robust, multi-stakeholder exploration process, we developed Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability as an evolution of our prior strategic plan,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “ISSF’s science-based and collaborative work has driven progressive outcomes in the last five years — from our Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) list enabling more transparent vessel operations to the design of jelly-FADs that lessen the environmental impact of fish aggregating devices.

“Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability allows us to build on such accomplishments, while responding to the current sustainability landscape,” Jackson continued. “Articulating our theory of change and a five-year goal, which emphasize a commitment to continuous improvement, helps us recognize the dynamic nature of the world’s tuna fisheries and the stakeholders who rely on them.”

Read the Press Release

Download the Plan

Meet Our Environmental Stakeholder Committee | PLUS Verified Vessel Transparency

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 19, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured Content

ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee

Experts from notable conservation and scientific organizations serve on ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC).

On a volunteer basis, ESC members offer their professional expertise to review and analyze information for ISSF initiatives. Like the Scientific Advisory Committee, the ESC advises the ISSF Board of Directors on sustainability issues and efforts, including ISSF conservation measures.

Learn more

Featured Resource

ISSF’s Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) list is a transparency tool for the public seeking to understand which tuna vessels have made public commitments to more sustainable fishing beyond the commitments reflected on the ProActive Vessel Register (PVR).

VOSI is verified through a third-party audit process, and VOSI columns indicate if a vessel is:

On the ISSF PVR and Record of Large Scale Purse Seine Vessels
Using only fully non-entangling FADs (with no netting)
Providing FAD echosounder biomass data
Participating in a FIP, and/or
Participating in a MSC certified fishery
Have installed and are using electronic monitoring systems (EMS)

Vessels participating in any of these initiatives are encouraged to apply to have these initiatives verified and recognized.

Explore VOSI

Download VOSI Audit Protocol

Featured Blog

Improving Vessel Transparency to Combat IUU Fishing

A New Tool for EU Fisheries Brings a Boost in Transparency and Sets an Example for All

Holly Koehler, ISSF Vice President, Policy & Outreach, considers how a recent initiative of the European Union is raising the bar for increased transparency in global fisheries and strengthening the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities.

Read the blog

Featured Graphic

A table shows which Regional Fishery Management Organization(s) (RFMOs) are leaders in several categories: IUU Vessel List, Authorized Vessel Record, Compliance Assessment Process, Observer Requirements, Supply & Tender Vessels, VMS, Transshipment, and FAD Management.

Who is the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee? | PLUS New Peer-Reviewed Articles

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 5, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured Content

Advancing Tuna Fisheries Science

Led by ISSF’s head scientist Dr. Victor Restrepo, the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) comprises leading marine and fisheries scientists. The Committee plays a critical role in our work to advance tuna fisheries science so that efforts to improve the sustainability of global tuna fisheries are grounded in science.

In addition to offering guidance on ISSF research priorities and supporting the many technical reports ISSF publishes, notably our regular Status of the Stocks reports, the SAC provides reference material for the ISSF Board of Directors to consider prior to taking action on sustainability efforts.

Learn more

Peer Reviewed Articles

The new Marine Stewardship Council requirements to improve ghost gear management: insights from the policy development process

Marine Policy

Large floating abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) is frequent marine pollution in the Hawaiian Islands and Palmyra Atoll

Marine Pollution Bulletin

Featured Resource

Interactive Stock Status Tool

ISSF recently expanded its “Stock Status Tool” to include an additional category of data — tuna catch trends since 1950 by purse seine, pole-and-line, longline, gillnet, and other gear types.

The tool originally debuted with two data-tracking and visualization capabilities: tuna-stock health status since 2011, and current catch share across stocks.

The new “Catch Trends” dataset and tab in the tool allow users to:

Filter gear-type catch data by tuna species, stock area, and year range
See data as actual catch values in tonnes or scaled to 100%
Download graphics as images, PDFs, PowerPoint slides, or Tableau workbooks
Download the raw dataset (CSV format) or the dataset of user-customized graphics (Excel or CSV format)
Share graphics through email, Twitter, or Facebook via embed code or custom URLs

Explore the Tool

Featured Report

FAD Management in Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries

This report expands upon six elements of management that ISSF considers to be of utmost importance for proper management of drifting and anchored fish aggregating devices (FADs):

Complying with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements by set type
Voluntarily reporting additional FAD buoy data for use by RFMO science bodies
Supporting science-based FAD limits
Using non-entangling FADs to reduce ghost fishing
Mitigating other environmental impacts due to FAD loss including through the use of biodegradable FADs and FAD recovery policies
Implementing further mitigation efforts for silky sharks

We provide practical examples that fleets could adopt as their FAD management policies.

Download the Report

On Tuna RFMOs | ISSF Priorities & Progress on Best Practices

Written by Lynne Mandel on September 28, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured Content

ISSF is committed to working with, and advocating to, tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) to require and implement improvements in science and management.

RFMOs have the legal frameworks, geographic scope, and membership to facilitate positive change across global tuna fisheries. Tuna are highly migratory, swimming through both international waters and waters belonging to many nations. Countries sharing these resources together comprise RFMOs that manage tuna fisheries.

Learn more

Each year, we identify priority actions for tropical-tuna RFMOs to take to improve fishery sustainability in their regions.

To shape RFMO discussion and decision-making, ISSF science and advocacy expertise inform our concerns and advice for each organization. Our position statements — disseminated ahead of RFMO annual meetings — also explore these priority topics.

Read

Featured Fact

Conservation Measures Support RFMOs

Several ISSF conservation measures were adopted specifically to support RFMOs and their regional tuna fleets in following best practices — including in vessel registration, listing, and authorization.

Featured Reports

RFMO Best Practices Snapshots

As part of our policy and advocacy work, ISSF evaluates tuna RFMOs’ progress in implementing best-practice recommendations. Our “RFMO Best Practices Snapshots” (PDFs) cover compliance processes, IUU vessel listing, transshipment, and other fisheries management topics.

Download

Featured Infographics

In our infographics library, you’ll find original ISSF graphics on key RFMO topics.

Browse

Exploring Technology to Support Selective Fishing | AND ISSF Experts in the News

Written by Lynne Mandel on September 21, 2023. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured Content

ISSF scientists are exploring innovative ways to use acoustic equipment at sea as a tool to prevent overfishing — and reduce bycatch — in purse-seine tuna fisheries.

We are studying how echosounder buoys near fish aggregating devices (FADs) can detect the distinctive “sound signatures” of different tuna species — and transmit that information to vessels before fishers travel to a FAD to make a set. If fishers can harness acoustic technology to “preemptively” estimate the type and amount of fish gathered at a particular FAD, they can choose to fish only on FADs with higher proportions of tuna species for which stocks are in healthy condition — and avoid those that have attracted larger groups of non-target species.

A Web feature story — with animated illustrations and photos of ISSF research projects — shows how fishers can use acoustic technology to better identify species at FADs, and fish more sustainably.

Dive in

Featured Video

On the launch of the ISSF Strategic Plan for 2023-2027, Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability, ISSF President Susan Jackson discusses progress in research and innovation, including acoustic discrimination as a tool to support selective fishing.

Watch

ISSF Experts in the News

Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries and the New MSC Fisheries Standard

In a Seafood Source op-ed, ISSF’s Dr. Victor Restrepo reviews how embracing a new pathway to harvest strategies now is helping some fisheries retain MSC certification, while more work remains for many other stocks.

Read

Indian Ocean Tuna Commission is the first Regional Fisheries Management Organization to Adopt Electronic Monitoring Standards for Multi-Billion Dollar Fisheries

By adopting electronic monitoring standards for its fisheries, the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission has set an example for other RFMOs to follow. Their action will hopefully inspire more countries and organizations to embrace innovative technologies to independently monitor fisheries and help safeguard our oceans and marine resources for future generations.

ISSF’s Dr. Hilario Murua reflects on an important step forward in responsible and data-driven fisheries management in a guest article for EM4Fish.

Read

Featured Fact

ISSF Participating Companies are seafood companies that commit to conform to our conservation measures (CM) for improving the long-term health of tuna fisheries.

We adopted CM 4.3(a) Observer Coverage to support RFMO data collection efforts in order to properly assess the impact of FAD fisheries and other activities. The measure requires transactions only with those large-scale purse seine vessels that have 100% observer coverage on every fishing trip and observing every fishing operation.

All companies were in full conformance with CM 4.3 in our April 2023 ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance report.

Review 4.3(a) Observer Coverage

Download Report