FAD Management

Tuna fishers around the world use different designs and materials to build FADs. Some FAD types pose a higher risk to non-target marine species and ocean ecosystems.

To minimize bycatch and marine pollution from FADs, ISSF researches non-entangling designs and natural materials that are more sustainable and also meet fishers’ needs for effective, durable gear.

Developed by ISSF with physical oceanographers and tuna fishers, the jelly-FAD — built with natural materials like bamboo and cotton — is a new model for non-entangling, biodegradable FADs.

Our science and advocacy experts have produced more than 100 publications on FADs.

ISSF scientific reports have examined FADs in context of designs and materials, bycatch, fishing capacity, and MSC fishery certification, for example. Some of these reports document our international workshops with scientific colleagues, tuna fishers, NGO partners, and other stakeholders.

Our best practices reports and RFMO best practices snapshots have assessed FAD practices and policies against sustainability criteria, considering topics as varied as FAD limits, tracking and recovery, data collection and reporting, and bycatch mitigation. Our scientists also publish peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.

ISSF also has established several conservation measures on FAD use for participating seafood companies .

Depending on the ocean location, bycatch species caught by purse seiners include primarily non-target tuna species and other finfish (wahoo, dolphinfish, rainbow runner, and billfish), which are largely utilized and are not of conservation concerns. But bycatch also includes vulnerable species of concern, such as sharks, rays, and sea turtles.

Through scientific workshops and at-sea research, including in partnership with commercial tuna fishers, ISSF has evaluated different approaches for reducing bycatch in FAD tuna fisheries — encompassing everything from setting times and fishing equipment to FAD-building techniques and acoustic species discrimination technology.

To encourage sustainable fishing practices and policies, we develop resources for both fishers and RFMOs — sharing what we have learned about effective bycatch mitigation, including handling-and-release techniques for incidentally caught marine species.

We have hosted collaborative, problem-solving workshops with both purse-seine and longline tuna fishers that use FADs, exploring ways to minimize harm to marine animals and ecosystems. Recent ISSF workshops have focused on brainstorming and testing FAD designs with lower environmental impacts as well as reducing FAD loss or abandonment at sea.

In addition to in-person and video workshops, we produce fisher and observer guidebooks and videos that address FADs. We also offer a fisher guide to building jelly-FADs.

Based on documented best practices, ISSF tracks tuna RFMOs’ FAD management requirements for the fleets in their regions — and rates their performances.

We also petition RFMOs directly through position statements, ahead of their annual or special meetings, to adopt sustainable fishing policies and enforce them effectively. Our partners — NGOs, seafood companies, and others — also have co-signed ISSF advocacy letters to RFMOs.

ISSF also has sponsored side events at RFMO scientific committee meetings to highlight our research initiatives and findings.