Dec. 22, 2020: See an update about IATTC’s Dec. 22 emergency meeting. This year has tested all of us, including decision-makers at the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) that manage commercial tuna stocks. All tuna RFMOs were forced to hold their annual meetings virtually or…
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In early November, nearly 200 participants took to their computers for a week-long virtual discussion about Indian Ocean fishery management needs and how to address the growing chorus of concern around effective tuna conservation in the region. The yellowfin tuna stock, the health of which…
With the global pandemic impacting the work of human fisheries observers, electronic monitoring (EM) in global tuna fisheries is in the spotlight more than ever. Here are three ways fisheries managers can act to fully embrace EM today, while enabling a long and successful future…
Many Points on the Horizon Are Looking Much Brighter, But Regulators, Industry Remain Adrift in Challenging Seas.
One of the biggest fish in Silicon Valley, Elon Musk, stirs up turbulence with just about everything he says. But, as I reviewed 2019’s record of progress in tuna sustainability, one of his comments came back to me, calm and clear. “I’m learning patience,” he…
Harvest Strategies, Well Managed At-Sea Transshipment Top ISSF’s List of “Asks” for this Year’s WCPFC Meeting
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is responsible for the effective long-term conservation and management of highly migratory fish stocks in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). With about 52 percent of the global production of tuna coming from the WCPO —…
But Commission Fails to Act on Transshipment Regulations, Turtles, and Sharks
After a week of intense negotiations, 800 participants took decisive action at the close of this year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT). The Commission made important progress by acting to protect the region’s overfished bigeye tuna stock and…
ISSF Priorities for this Year’s Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
In the Atlantic Ocean region, managers will soon have the opportunity to improve the sustainability of their tropical tuna fisheries. And given the inaction at last year’s meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), this year’s to-do list is especially…
ISSF’s new Guide to Non-entangling and Biodegradable FADs supports the conservation work of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
ISSF’s new Guide to Non-entangling and Biodegradable FADs equips the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) with scientific research to back stronger sustainability measures for FAD fishers in its region. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) oversees the long-term conservation of highly…
A Recap of the 2019 IATTC Annual Meeting
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,…
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…