The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) recently concluded its 94th Annual Meeting in Bilbao. And while the Commission took some positive steps in line with the science-based asks made by ISSF and WWF, overall, little progress was made. Before we detail this lack of progress,…
ISSF and WWF staff are preparing to attend the annual meeting of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), the group responsible for managing tuna fisheries in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, in Bilbao, Spain, this month. As we do, we’re recalling the good outcomes from last…
IOTC Takes Decisive Action on FADs But Fails to Adopt Effective Measures to Rebuild Yellowfin Stocks The IOTC concluded its 23rd Annual Meeting in India last week, and the results are decidedly mixed. ISSF went into the meeting with urgent calls for IOTC to take immediate steps to protect Indian Ocean yellowfin. We were also advocating for IOTC to: Adopt species-specific harvest…
Posted by Claire van der Geest & Umair Shahid Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Member States will soon commence their 23rd session, and the rebuilding of the overfished Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stock is a central and critical item on the agenda—again. It is high…
By Dr. Melanie Hutchinson 2018 was another busy year for ISSF’s scientific field teams conducting shark bycatch and tuna research in three oceans. In the Atlantic Ocean, for example, researchers from the University of Hawaii, AZTI in Spain, and the University of Rondônia in Brazil…
World Tuna Day (May 2) celebrates tuna as an essential resource in global economic development, employment, nutrition and food security. Today marks the eighth World Tuna Day ISSF has celebrated in our organization’s history, and it is a noteworthy opportunity to look back at how…
By Dr. Jefferson Murua Dr. Jefferson Murua works in the Marine Research Division of AZTI-Tecnalia, a non-profit foundation committed to the social and economic development of the marine environment and food sector. Dr. Murua also conducts educational workshops and research on behalf of ISSF. Another round…
Posted by Holly Koehler Science-based approaches to sustainable tuna are only effective if they are implemented. That’s why ISSF advocates to tuna RFMOs and their member nations – both directly and through the efforts of ISSF participants and stakeholders – for policies and approaches that…
By Claire van der Geest and Bubba Cook The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is in an enviable position. All WCPFC tuna stocks — except for Pacific Bluefin tuna — are at healthy levels. That is, the ISSF Status of the Stocks report rates these…
By Dr. Victor Restrepo and Holly Koehler When I set off for Croatia for the recent annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), I was hopeful that fisheries managers in the Atlantic Ocean region would act decisively to improve the sustainability…
