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ISSF Participating Companies Commit to New Conservation Measure that Requires Verified Reporting of Progress toward Strategic Plan Five-Year Goal

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has adopted a new conservation measure requiring its participating seafood companies to transparently report against progress in meeting the 5-year goal of the organization’s new Strategic Plan. ISSF Conservation Measure 2.5 – Transparency in Reporting Progress Against ISSF Five-Year Goal supports the goal of ISSF’s 2023-2037 Strategic Plan, Continuously Improving Global Tuna Fishery Sustainability, which states:  

By the end of 2027, all tuna fisheries from which ISSF participating companies source can meet and maintain the MSC certification standard or there is a clear roadmap and timeline in place to meet this standard that is underpinned by the best-available science.

Our brand-new conservation measure asks ISSF participating seafood companies to report their progress in meeting ISSF strategic plan goals for sustainable fisheries. Share on X

Conservation Measure 2.5 was adopted on April 19, 2023, and is the newest addition to the organization’s 33 independently audited measures. The first reporting deadline for the measure is March 2024.

“We are pleased that our Strategic Plan includes an explicit, time-bound goal for the first time in ISSF’s history.” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Our newest conservation measure takes that concept one step further by verifying company-by-company reporting of progress in meeting that goal.”

“ISSF participating companies walk the talk on transparency in their commitments, and this new measure that aligns company operations to our strategic target is no exception,” Jackson continued. “We look forward to sharing the results of the independent audit of company conformance with this measure in next year’s edition of our Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report — a consistent and accessible resource for stakeholders seeking greater transparency in global tuna fisheries.”

ISSF Conservation Measure 2.5 – Transparency in Reporting Progress Against ISSF Five-Year Goal

The new measure states, to support ISSF in tracking progress towards its Strategic Plan’s five-year goal,  seafood processors, traders, importers, transporters, marketers, and other industry stakeholders will commit to publish by March 15, 2024 — and update annually thereafter:

A. The percentage of their tuna purchases sourced from each of these categories:

  • Fisheries certified against the then-current MSC Standard and eligible to use the MSC label
  • Comprehensive Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs) that have made progress within the past 36 months or are in their initial year of listing
  • Comprehensive FIPs that have not made progress in the prior 36 months but have been publicly listed for less than 5 years
  • Fisheries that have entered full assessment for MSC certification but have not been in a publicly listed comprehensive FIP
  • “None of the above”

B. A roadmap and timeline to increase the percentage of their purchases from fisheries certified against the then-current MSC Standard and eligible to use the MSC label

C. A roadmap and timeline to decrease the percentage of their purchases from Comprehensive FIPs that have been publicly listed for less than 5 years but have not achieved progress in more than 36 months

D. A roadmap and timeline to decrease the percentage of their purchase from the “none of the above” category

Disclosures made by ISSF participating companies under this conservation measure will satisfy the disclosures required for the exemption in paragraph 3 of ISSF CM 2.4.

About ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance Process

Since its inception in 2009, ISSF has adopted conservation measures and commitments to facilitate its 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 conforming to these conservation measures to improve the long-term health of tuna fisheries.

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.

The April 2023 ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report showed a conformance rate of 99.75 percent by 25 ISSF participating companies in 2022. In addition to a summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual seafood company reports that detail each organization’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual company compliance reports on its website.

ISSF Calls on Indian Ocean Tuna Commission to Address Member Non-Compliance and Improve FAD Management and Tuna Conservation Measures for Yellowfin, Bigeye, and Skipjack

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has issued its position statement ahead of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) 27th Annual Meeting to be held May 8-12, 2023. The statement outlines key issues ISSF urges the Commission to act on, including adopting stronger conservation measures to protect yellowfin, skipjack, and bigeye tuna stocks, as well as shark, cetacean, and sea turtle populations, strengthening the management of fish aggregating devices (FADs), and addressing non-compliance by member states.

“The IOTC has a critical role to play in ensuring the long-term sustainability of Indian Ocean tuna stocks and marine ecosystems. Member governments of the IOTC must cooperate to adopt critical tuna and FAD management measures, as well as tackle member non-compliance, to protect these valuable marine resources for future generations,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson.  “It is also time for the IOTC to take long overdue action to modernize its bycatch mitigation and shark management measures.”

Our position statement outlines ISSF's priorities for IOTC action at its upcoming May meeting. Share on X

Tuna Stock Conservation

ISSF calls on managers to reduce yellowfin tuna catches by at least 22 percent, relative to the 2020 level, following the latest IOTC Scientific Committee (SC) management advice. Additionally, ISSF urges the Commission to ensure that skipjack catches in 2023 do not exceed the limit set by the related harvest control rule (HCR) and that bigeye catches do not exceed the limit set by its Management Procedure.

Compliance Processes

ISSF is also calling for the IOTC Compliance Committee to address IOTC member states and parties’ non-compliance, specifically with mandatory fishery and fish aggregating device (FAD) data; catch and FAD limits; and the use of gillnets. The organization also urges IOTC to require the submission of action plans that address identified non-compliance. ISSF and Pew Charitable Trusts have recommendations to improve RFMO compliance processes, which can be found in these Workshop reports: 2020 report, 2021 report, 2022 report  and a Toolkit to Evaluate and Improve RFMO Compliance Process.

FAD Management

ISSF asks the IOTC to build upon its existing Management of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs) resolution by expanding measures that improve FAD management. This expansion includes requiring that IOTC SC provide advice on FAD management options — such as the efficacy of FAD closures and expected reductions of juvenile and total catch of tropical tunas in comparison to the contribution of those gears not part of the FAD fishery.

The ISSF position statement also calls for the reporting of complete FAD acoustic biomass records from echosounder buoys for scientific use, as well as clearer rules for FAD activation and deactivation of FAD buoys.

Bycatch Mitigation and Shark Protections

ISSF requests IOTC to require that shark fins be naturally attached for all landings. The IOTC must adopt measures to limit fishing mortality on sharks based on IOTC SC recommendations and amend outdated sea turtle and seabird conservation resolutions to include best-practice mitigation techniques.

Electronic Monitoring and Reporting & Observer Coverage

Finally, ISSF appeals to the IOTC to adopt electronic monitoring (EM) terms and definitions, EM Program Standards and EM Data Standards, based on the recommendations of the IOTC Scientific Committee. IOTC is behind its peers in observer coverage rates, currently requiring just 5% observer coverage regardless of gear type or area of operation. Comprehensive and higher levels of observer coverage are critical to effective fisheries management; compliance monitoring; and independent verification of catch, effort, and non-target species interactions.

Download the complete 2023 ISSF IOTC position statement here. The ISSF position statement is also available in French.

ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report Shows 99.75% Conformance by Participating Companies with ISSF Conservation Measures

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report, which shows a conformance rate of 99.75 percent in 2022 by 25 ISSF participating companies with all 33 ISSF conservation measures in effect. 

The report highlights the progress made toward ensuring the sustainability of global tuna fisheries by industry participants, revealing that 23 of 25 companies were in full conformance with all ISSF conservation measures. Two companies had one minor non-conformance each on the same conservation measure, CM 2.3 Product Labeling by Species and Area of Capture.

Our new report shows that 23 of 25 ISSF participating seafood companies were in full conformance with all ISSF conservation measures for sustainable fishing in 2022. Share on X

“In an era when sustainability pledges in the private sector are becoming increasingly commonplace, ISSF participating companies continue to stand out in their commitment to a rigorous, transparent audit and compliance process,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “We cannot take for granted the value of this consistent, public reporting on the business practices of the world’s leading tuna companies — even as we mark the ninth year of the ISSF approach.”

Details of the Report

The report tracks companies’ progress in the past year in conforming with 33 ISSF conservation measures (CM) such as these:

  • Demonstrating the ability to trace products from can code or sales invoice to vessel and trip
  • Submitting quarterly purchase data by vessel, trip dates, species, size and other data to RFMO scientific bodies
  • Transactions only with those longline vessels whose owners have a policy requiring the implementation of best practices for bycatch mitigation of sharks and marine turtles
  • Establishing and publishing policies to prohibit shark finning and avoiding transactions with vessels that carry out shark finning
  • Conducting transactions only with purse seine vessels whose skippers have received science-based information from ISSF on best practices such as reducing bycatch
  • Avoiding transactions with vessels that are on an RFMO Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing list

One ISSF conservation measure was newly in effect for the 2022 audit period, and all 25 companies were in full conformance with it: CM 1.3 IOTC Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding.

Reporting on Company Compliance Audits

As part of its commitment to foster transparency and accountability in the fishing industry, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to assess ISSF participating seafood companies’ compliance with ISSF conservation measures according to a detailed audit protocol.

In addition to this summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that detail each company’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual reports on its website; company audit reports for 2022 were posted in March 2023.

The Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report will be updated in the fourth quarter of 2023 to reflect any improvements in compliance by ISSF participating companies. Improvements made before the publication of the update of this report will be noted in the individual company compliance reports available on the ISSF website.

 

ISSF Adds “Tuna Catch Trends by Gear Type” Data to Interactive Stock Status Tool

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has expanded its “Stock Status Tool” to include an additional category of critical data — tuna catch trends since 1950 by purse seine, pole-and-line, longline, gillnet, and other gear types.

“Credible transparency and accountability across global tuna fisheries is made possible through gathering, disseminating, analyzing, and activating data that is both science-based and attainable,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson.  “As a science-first organization, we are committed to making ISSF’s technical content — especially legacy publications like the Status of the Stocks report — and the research supporting it increasingly accessible and available in user-friendly formats. We are pleased to announce the expansion of this essential tool.”

Explore a new dataset in our stock-status tool: tuna catch trends since 1950 by gear type. Share on X

The tool debuted in 2018 with two data-tracking and visualization capabilities: tuna-stock health status since 2011, and current catch share across stocks. It is publicly accessible and does not require additional applications to use.

Located on ISSF’s Website and built using Tableau technology, the “Interactive Stock Status and Catch Tool” is based on ISSF’s semi-annual “Status of the Stocks” report, which compiles data from the science bodies at tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs).

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

Sample Use Cases of the Tool

For example, stakeholders interested in analyzing how catch trends by gear type of tropical tuna in the Eastern Pacific Ocean have changed over time, could first select the three tropical tuna species (bigeye, skipjack, yellowfin) and then select Eastern Pacific Ocean as the Stock Area. These data settings provide users with an overview of how catches changed throughout the whole time series (Figure 1).

Figure 1

Switching the graph type to “Scaled to 100%” (Figure 2) will help users better visualize the share of catch by gear type in the earlier years, when catches were lower.

Figure 2

Displaying the data in this way makes it more evident that pole-and-line catches accounted for a high percentage of catches in the 1950s and also that in recent years the highest percentage of the catch has come from purse-seine fisheries.

Users interested in looking at a specific period in more detail can adjust the tool’s “Year” slider to show only the range they are interested in. Following the example above, they could zoom in to 1950-1959 and display data as actual values (i.e. non-scaled) (Figure 3). Doing the same for the last 10 years of the series (2011-2021) paints a clear picture of how catch has changed in terms of total catch (from ~150K tonnes annually to around 650K tonnes) and in terms of share of catch by gear type (from a variety of gears to purse seine being predominant) (Figure 4).

Similarly, stakeholders studying the impact of RFMO stock management decisions can consult the tool to see how catches have increased or decreased during certain time frames — or how catches are trending during stock rebuilding periods.

Figure 3
Figure 4

About the Status of the Stocks 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. 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 several Status of the Stocks reports each year 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. Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.

ISSF Report: 15 Tuna Stocks Not Meeting Criteria for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard

Written by svanouse on . Posted in News, Press Releases.

Fisheries scientists in An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Criteria — a March 2023 report commissioned by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) — found that eight out of 23 major commercial tuna stocks worldwide are successfully avoiding overfishing and maintaining target stock biomass levels when measured against the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Fisheries Standard.

The eight stocks are Western Atlantic skipjack, North Atlantic albacore, South Atlantic albacore, Eastern Atlantic bluefin, Western Pacific skipjack, Eastern Pacific yellowfin, Eastern Pacific skipjack and Indian Ocean skipjack. These stocks achieved a passing score for the Standard’s Principle 1, “Sustainable Fish Stocks,” which requires fisheries to be conducted in a manner that does not lead to overfishing or depletion of exploited populations. Six of those stocks also have fully implemented well-defined harvest control rules. However, failure to implement controls before rebuilding is required has led to an increasing number of stocks failing to meet minimum requirements on harvest control rules.

Our new report finds that overfishing is being avoided for 8 of 23 commercial tuna stocks worldwide, when measured against the @MSC_ecolabel Fisheries Standard. Share on X

Under the Standard’s Principle 3, “Effective Management,” RFMOs scored well overall, with the four tropical tuna RFMOs receiving passing scores. Most tuna RFMOs exhibited similar weaknesses in compliance and enforcement, while other weaknesses varied between RFMOs.

About the MSC Fisheries Standard

MSC is an independent, international, non-profit organization that oversees a program to assess global wild-capture fisheries and certify them as “sustainable” if they meet its Fisheries Standard criteria. In the previous January 2022 edition of the report, only six stocks passed Principle 1. In this year’s report, two additional stocks received a passing score. Principle 3 evaluations remained unchanged for the most part.

About the Report

An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Sustainability Standard takes a consistent, comprehensive approach to scoring tuna stocks based on certain components of the MSC standard. Updated regularly since it was first published in 2013, and organized by individual tuna stock and tuna RFMO, the report is designed to:

  • Provide a basis for comparing stock scores and tuna RFMO scores as assessed by the same experts
  • Become a useful source document for future tuna certifications or in the establishment of tuna Fishery Improvement Projects (FIPs)
  • Prioritize ISSF projects and advocacy efforts against initiatives that will improve fisheries’ low performance indicator scores

The scores in the report focus on stock status (MSC Principle 1) and the international management aspects relevant to RFMOs (part of MSC Principle 3) and are based on publicly available fishery and RFMO data. Each of these Principles is evaluated in relationship to Performance Indicators (PIs) within each Principle. The Evaluation report also includes detailed remarks on each stock, evaluations of the five RFMOs, and comprehensive reference citations.

MSC Principle 1

The MSC Principle 1 states: “A fishery must be conducted in a manner that does not lead to overfishing or depletion of the exploited populations and, for those populations that are depleted, the fishery must be conducted in a manner that demonstrably leads to their recovery.” The authors attribute stocks with failing scores to poor stock status, the lack of well-defined harvest control rules, and/or the lack of effective tools to control harvest. Six of the 23 stocks have fully implemented well-defined harvest control rules, and there has been progress towards this aim by all RFMOs.

Regarding stocks receiving passing scores:

  • Among nine tuna stocks in the Atlantic Ocean, four received an overall principle-level passing score: Western skipjack, Northern albacore, Southern albacore, and Eastern bluefin (the only bluefin stock to receive a passing score).
  • Among nine tuna stocks in the Pacific Ocean, three received overall principle-level passing scores: Western skipjack, Eastern yellowfin and Eastern skipjack.
  • Among four stocks in the Indian Ocean, one received an overall principle-level passing score: skipjack. 

Regarding stocks receiving failing scores:

  • In the Atlantic, yellowfin, bigeye, Eastern skipjack, Western bluefin, and Mediterranean albacore all received principle-level failing scores.
  • In the Pacific, six stocks received overall principle-level failing scores: Western yellowfin, Western bigeye, Eastern bigeye, Northern albacore, Southern albacore, and Pacific bluefin.
  • In the Indian Ocean, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore all received overall principle-level failing scores.
  • Southern bluefin also received an overall principle-level failing score.

MSC Principle 3

The MSC Principle 3 states: “The fishery is subject to an effective management system that respects local, national, and international laws and standards and incorporates institutional and operational frameworks that require use of the resource to be responsible and sustainable.”

One tuna RFMO — the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) — received unconditional passing scores for all seven performance indicators under Principle 3. The other three tropical tuna RFMOs (ICCAT, IOTC and WCPFC) received overall principle-level passing scores from the report’s authors. As in the 2022 report, CCSBT did not receive a passing score under Principle 3.

While the report focuses on tuna stock status and sustainability as well as on RFMO policies, it does not address national or bilateral management systems, or gear- or fleet-specific ecosystem impacts — all of which are also considered within the MSC assessment methodology.

Since 2011, ISSF has been an active stakeholder in MSC tuna fishery assessments and certifications. ISSF’s strategic objective is to develop and implement verifiable, science-based practices, commitments, and international management measures to help all tuna fisheries become capable of meeting and maintaining the MSC certification standard.

An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Sustainability Standard was authored by Paul A. H. Medley and Jo Gascoigne. In October 2022, MSC updated the criteria for its standard in announcing the Fisheries Standard 3.0. The ISSF report does not reflect the updated Standard.