“Fins naturally attached (FNA)” is a requirement that retained sharks are to be landed with their fins still attached to the carcass by prohibiting the removal of shark fins on board vessels as well as the prohibition of retaining onboard, transshipping or landing removed shark fins.
Source: the MSC-MSCI Vocabulary
Target species
Those species that are the main subject of fishing effort in a fishery. The tropical‑tuna fisheries, depending on their fishing strategy, target skipjack, yellowfin and/or bigeye tuna; while the fisheries that cover temperate waters also target bluefin and albacore species. Considerations such as size also matter since tunas that are undesirably small for processing are also sometimes called bycatch.
See also ALB, BET, BFT, SKJ, YFT.
Shark finning
A fishing practice that consists in removing the fins from sharks and discarding the bodies back to the ocean. This practice has been banned in some countries, where it is mandatory to land the whole sharks with their fins naturally attached, as a way to monitor compliance with finning bans and to collect more accurate data on shark catches.
Non‑target species
Species that are incidentally captured while fishing for a target species. In tropical tuna fishing, these generally include minor tuna species (bullet and frigate tunas, Pacific black skipjack, little tunny), other bony fishes (mahi‑mahi, rainbow runner, billfishes), sharks, rays, turtles, etc. Some of these species can be targeted opportunistically during a fishing trip.
See also Bycatch, Byproduct and Discard.
Finfish
Term used to describe the strictly classified biological group of fishes, sometimes called true fishes to distinguish them from other aquatic life whose common names also end in “fish”, including mollusks (e.g., cuttlefish), crustaceans (e.g., crayfish), echinoderms (e.g., starfish), and other animals (e.g., jellyfish); or any other aquatic life harvested in fisheries or aquaculture (e.g. shellfish).
Discard
A species that is taken incidentally while fishing for a target species, that is caught and discarded at sea, whether dead or alive — including target species fish that are discarded due to undesired quality or size.
See also Bycatch and Discarded/Retained.
Discarded/Retained
Any catch, whether target or non‑target, can be either discarded or retained on board. Many scientific studies equate the term “bycatch” with discards.
Bycatch mitigation
Mitigation measures for tuna fisheries intended to reduce catches of non‑target species including seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, sharks, and rays. They include changes in gear designs and fishing methods to avoid catching bycatch, along with techniques to release bycatch species when caught.
Bycatch reduction device
A device inserted in a fishing gear to allow non‑target species or individuals (juveniles) or endangered species (e.g. seals, turtles, dolphins) to escape alive.
Bycatch
Any fish or other marine species — such as sharks, dolphins, marine turtles, and seabirds — that is not the main objective or the target of a fishing fleet and are caught unintentionally while fishing, whether retained or discarded.
See also Byproduct and Discard.
