Author: Lynne Mandel

ISSF Responds to WCPFC | Delivering on Science While Delaying on Monitoring for Pacific Tuna Fisheries

Written by Lynne Mandel on December 10, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

ISSF’s Response to the WCPFC Annual Meeting

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) concluded its annual meeting with a mix of meaningful progress and consequential deferrals — outcomes that not only validate the Commission’s capacity to deliver science-based reforms but also highlight areas where urgent follow-through is needed. For the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), we must assess these decisions against what we urged WCPFC to advance this year.

This year’s meeting demonstrated that when WCPFC members align around shared scientific objectives, significant outcomes are possible. The adoption of an interim management procedure for South Pacific albacore and strengthened seabird protections underscore this potential. Yet on other ISSF priorities — including FAD management, longline observer coverage, and IUU prevention — the Commission deferred essential decisions to 2026, widening the gap between WCPFC and other tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs).

ICYMI

Mixed Results at ICCAT 2025: Skipjack Management Procedure Adoption Marks Progress, Other Key Reforms Slip to 2026 and Beyond

As ICCAT concludes its 2025 annual meeting in Seville, ISSF offers a measured assessment of the outcomes. While the Commission made meaningful progress in some areas, particularly on harvest strategies, many issues central to achieving fully monitored and accountable fisheries were deferred to intersessional work in 2026 and beyond. Intense time spent on bluefin tuna quota negotiations also limited the Commission’s ability to advance other priority reforms.

We evaluate the results of the meeting through the lens of the priorities highlighted in our October ICCAT preview.

Read the blog

Advancing Tuna Sustainability Together | Highlights from Fall Retailer Forums, Podcast Features & ISSF in the News

Written by Lynne Mandel on December 4, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

ISSF Hosts Fall Tuna Sustainability Market Forums in Madrid and London
This fall, with support from the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), ISSF convened retailers, seafood companies, NGOs, and supply-chain partners in Madrid and London for two regional Tuna Sustainability Market Forums. Across both sessions, speakers from ISSF, MSC, and Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) shared the latest science, management updates, and verification tools shaping sustainable tuna supply chains.

The forums provided attendees with practical insights into global tuna stock status, RFMO developments, and emerging approaches for transparency, due-diligence compliance, and credible sustainability reporting. Key themes included:

· Science-Led Management: Updates on ISSF research, stock health trends, and the continued expansion of harvest strategies and other science-based management tools

· Strengthening Transparency: Progress in electronic monitoring, traceability initiatives, and independent audits that help companies demonstrate measurable improvements

· Integrated Data for Decision-Making: How MSC-certified fishery growth and SFP’s integration of ISSF vessel- and supplier-level data support informed sourcing policies

Both events highlighted how complementary tools from ISSF, MSC, and SFP help companies meet evolving expectations for accountability and performance — from vessel-level transparency to verified sustainability commitments.

Dozens of participants engaged in the discussions, reinforcing the seafood sector’s shared commitment to advancing sustainable tuna fisheries. ISSF will continue this series in 2026 with region-specific briefings and additional opportunities to support partners in demonstrating credible, science-based progress.

Featured Content

ISSF on “How To Protect The Ocean”: Podcast Interviews Spotlight Our Work

ISSF has been featured in a series of episodes on the “How To Protect The Ocean” podcast, where our staff discuss the science, challenges, and progress behind sustainable tuna fishing, bycatch reduction, fishing-gear innovations, and broader industry transparency. The conversations offer listeners an inside look at how ISSF approaches conservation through science, collaboration, and market engagement.

Featured ISSF Episodes

Susan Jackson on “Tuna Sustainability and The Work of the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation” In this episode, Susan shares highlights of ISSF’s 2024 Annual Report. She outlines how science, stakeholder-workshop outcomes, and new transparency tools — including expanded use of electronic monitoring and vessel-level compliance — are contributing to more sustainably managed tuna fisheries. Listen here.
Gala Moreno on “How to Protect Tuna: Insights from ISSF’s Gala Moreno on Sustainable Fisheries” Gala dives deep into the technical side of tuna fisheries: how fish-aggregating devices (FADs) work, why conventional FADs raise environmental concerns, and how ISSF is advancing non-entangling and biodegradable FADs — as well as acoustic-based species discrimination — to reduce bycatch and ecosystem impacts. Listen here.
Victor Restrepo on “The State of Tuna Fishing: What You Need to Know” Victor offers an accessible overview of the global tuna-fishing landscape, highlighting key trends in fishery performance and what they mean for sustainable management and ocean health. Listen here.

ISSF in the News
NGOs call for WCPFC to adopt transshipment rules, echo calls for South Pacific albacore management procedure
Seafood Source

ISSF: ICCAT 2025 delivers ‘mixed results’
World Fishing & Aquaculture

BLOG: ISSF on ICCAT Meeting Outcomes | PLUS New Management Procedures E-learning Series

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 26, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

Mixed Results at ICCAT 2025: Skipjack Management Procedure Adoption Marks Progress, Other Key Reforms Slip to 2026 and Beyond

We evaluate the results of the meeting through the lens of the priorities highlighted in our October ICCAT preview: finalizing harvest strategies, scaling up electronic monitoring and observer coverage, and advancing bycatch mitigation and shark conservation.

FAO unveils “management procedures” e-learning series at ICCAT meeting
Virtual learning tool for harvest strategies that make fisheries sustainable and profitable

A five course FAO e-learning series on how to craft management procedures was unveiled for the first time at the annual meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), in Seville, Spain.

The series of five courses was developed by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the support of The Ocean Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, within the FAO Common Oceans Tuna project.

“Management procedures in tuna fisheries have achieved substantial and increasing accomplishments so far,” said Camille Jean Pierre Manel, Executive Secretary, International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, “the e-Learning series will help ensure their continued success by enabling all members and stakeholders to contribute meaningfully to these processes and leading to more sustainable tuna fisheries going forward.”

Learn more

ISSF in the News

Securing the Pacific’s tuna future – ISSF issues priorities for WCPFC’s 22nd session
World Fishing & Aquaculture

ISSF urges the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission to improve the management of FADs and transshipments on the high seas
Industrias Pesqueras

Safeguarding the Pacific’s Tuna Future | BLOG: Stronger action on FADs and at-sea transshipment to protect tuna resources

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 13, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News, Uncategorized.

Featured News

Securing the Pacific’s Tuna Future: ISSF Priorities for WCPFC Action on FADs and Transshipment
When the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meets this December, it will have a vital opportunity to strengthen the management of the world’s most productive tuna fisheries — those that sustain global markets, coastal communities, and marine ecosystems alike. The Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) accounts for more than half of global tuna catches, making the Commission’s decisions critical to the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks and to the health of the ocean systems that support them.

ISSF is calling on WCPFC members to take decisive action in two areas where improved rules can deliver meaningful results: managing fish aggregating devices (FAD) and strengthening at-sea transshipment regulation and port State controls. Progress in these areas will reduce ecosystem impacts, enhance data collection and the monitoring and tracking of FADs, and help deter illegal fishing activities.

Download ISSF’s WCPFC Position Statement

Featured Resources

Fresh Thinking about FADS
In an interactive Web feature, we explain how fish aggregating devices (FADs) are used in tuna fishing — and how they affect marine animals and environments. We also highlight ISSF’s efforts, working with tuna fishers and scientific colleagues, to design and manage biodegradable FADs that have lower marine ecosystem impacts.

See story

RFMO Best Practice Snapshot – At-Sea Transshipment

Our Best Practice Snapshots identify best practices that Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) should follow to manage tuna fisheries sustainably. This “snapshot” identifies best practices in tuna RFMO at-sea transshipment regulations, and then shows each RFMO’s progress in implementing those practices.

Learn more

ISSF in the News

ISSF calls on ICCAT to accelerate harvest strategy, monitoring adoption

Undercurrent News

ISSF issues ICCAT position statement asking for further progress

World Fishing & Aquaculture

Turning Science into Action | New Insights on MSC Tuna Fisheries & Bycatch Solutions

Written by Lynne Mandel on November 6, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

New Report: Snapshot of Open Conditions for MSC-Certified Tuna Fisheries
A new ISSF report, Snapshot of Open Conditions for MSC-Certified Tuna Fisheries as of July 2025, compiles and analyzes open conditions across 65 certified tuna fisheries worldwide.

The findings show that while MSC certification has become widespread, most tuna fisheries still have targeted improvements to make — especially around harvest strategies; harvest control rules; and management of endangered, threatened, and protected species.

By identifying the most common challenges and linking them to available ISSF resources, the report helps fisheries and their stakeholders focus their efforts on closing conditions and maintaining certification. These insights directly support ISSF’s strategic objective: continuously improving the sustainability of global tuna fisheries, and the ecosystems that support them, in meeting and maintaining the MSC certification standard.

Read the full report to explore where the biggest opportunities for progress lie and how science-based collaboration can accelerate continued improvements in tuna fishery performance.

Read the report

ICYMI

ISSF Priorities for ICCAT 2025

As the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) convenes its annual meeting from November 17-24, 2025, ISSF is encouraged by the Commission’s ongoing momentum toward stronger, science-based management. At this year’s meeting, ISSF urges ICCAT Parties to build on that progress by focusing on three critical and complementary priorities:

Finalizing harvest strategiesfor key stocks,
Scaling up electronic monitoring(EM), and
Human observer coverage, and advancing bycatch mitigationand shark conservation.

Together, these actions can accelerate ICCAT’s transition to fully monitored and evidence-driven fisheries management.

Continue Reading the ISSF Blog

Review the ISSF ICCAT Position Statement

Peer-reviewed Article

Evidence for a Fisher-Designed Solution to Manta and Devil Ray Bycatch in Tuna Fisheries

To help purse-seine tuna fishers protect manta and devil rays unintentionally caught in nets, ISSF coordinated and funded new research in collaboration with scientists from universities, research institutes, and non-governmental organizations in the U.S., U.K., and Spain, alongside fishers from the American Tunaboat Association (U.S.).

Together, fishers and scientists developed and tested the Mobulid Sorting Grid — a simple but smart device designed to safely release manta and devil rays caught in tuna fishing nets. The grid enables the rays to lie flat and gently slip back into the sea, helping prevent injuries and ensuring the tuna can continue through the net.

ISSF Senior Scientist Dr. Gala Moreno led the research effort, with Melissa Cronin of Duke University and Jefferson Murua of AZTI serving as key researchers on the study. Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF Vice President of Science and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee, and Dr. Hilario Murua, ISSF Senior Scientist, also participated in the study.

Review the Conservation Biology Paper

Read a Related ScienceNews Article

BLOG: ISSF Priorities for Atlantic Ocean Tuna Fisheries | ICCAT Position Statement Released

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 30, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

BLOG: Building on Progress — ISSF Priorities for ICCAT 2025

As the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) convenes its annual meeting from November 17-24, 2025, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is encouraged by the Commission’s ongoing momentum toward stronger, science-based management.

At this year’s meeting, ISSF urges ICCAT Parties to build on that progress by focusing on three critical and complementary priorities: finalizing harvest strategies for key stocks, scaling up electronic monitoring (EM) and human observer coverage, and advancing bycatch mitigation and shark conservation.

Together, these actions can accelerate ICCAT’s transition to fully monitored and evidence-driven fisheries management.

Read ISSF’s Position statement

Featured Resources

RFMO Best Practices Snapshots: Compliance Processes in Focus

ISSF’s RFMO Best Practices Snapshot series helps stakeholders track how tuna RFMOs measure up against global standards. The series also identifies opportunities for improvement — many of which align with ISSF’s 2025 ICCAT recommendations.

The series includes a snapshot of RFMO compliance processes, highlighting how audit points, corrective actions, and transparent reporting strengthen accountability across member nations.

Learn More: Compliance Processes

Why Electronic Monitoring Matters for Tuna Sustainability
As ISSF urges ICCAT to expand electronic monitoring (EM) and observer coverage, stakeholders can revisit ISSF resources detailing EM’s role in improving the sustainability of tuna fisheries. Building on ICCAT’s adoption of minimum EM standards in 2023, ISSF advocates for a clear timeline toward 100% observer coverage — combining human and electronic systems to enhance transparency.

Learn more: Electronic Monitoring Resources

Explore the series

Featured Content

Benefits of ISSA Membership for Seafood Companies

When seafood companies join the International Seafood Sustainability Association (ISSA), they are doing more than supporting tuna and ocean conservation. They are also investing strategically in the resilience, reputation, and long-term success of their business.

For tuna processors, traders, and marketers of any size, ISSA membership can help them to stay competitive, meet customer demands, and secure their place in a future-facing tuna industry. ISSA is a non-profit trade association that powers ISSF. All ISSA members are also ISSF participating companies.

Reasons to Join ISSA

In recent E News issues, we have been focusing on business advantages of ISSA membership. This week’s highlight:

Streamline Costs

Participate in a collaboration that gives your business access to RFMO advocacy materials, staff training, skippers’ workshops, pilot projects, and retail roundtables — resources that reduce internal costs and amplify your sustainability performance.

If you’re already an ISSF participating company, vessel, retailer, or consultant focused on sustainable tuna, encourage your seafood partners to explore the value of affordable ISSA membership.

Explore Membership

Apply Now

Tuna Sustainability in Action: ISSF Tools & Innovation Highlights | Use ISSF’s interactive dashboards, explore Jelly-FAD progress, and revisit ISSA benefits

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 16, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured Resource

Tool Spotlight: Interactive Stock Status & Catch Dashboard

ISSF’s Interactive Stock Status & Catch Tool puts data from our Status of the Stocks report at your fingertips, in a visual, dynamic form. It allows users to explore tuna population health, catch levels by fishing method, and historical trends — all through filterable views and downloadable graphics.

What It Does

The tool has three core tabs:

Stock Health Trends — shows how different tuna stocks have fared over time (since 2011)
Current Catch by Gear Type — breaks down how much catch is attributed to different fishing methods
Catch Trends Since 1950 — long-term view of catch trends by gear

Custom filters & controls: Choose species, ocean/stock area, gear types, and time periods. Use undo/redo, reset, or full-screen view.

Export & share: Download graphics or data (CSV, Excel, image, PDF), or share via email or social media.

Data alignment: Uses the exact same datasets as the Status of the Stocks report. Catch data comes from RFMO sources or, when not yet published, direct RFMO input to ISSF.

Explore the Interactive Stock & Catch Tool

ICYMI

Recognizing Innovation: Jelly-FAD Named Winner, Responsible Seafood Innovation Awards
Sponsored by the Global Seafood Alliance, the Responsible Seafood Innovation Awards spotlight fresh solutions to some of the industry’s toughest challenges.

This year, ISSF won the Global Seafood Alliance’s Responsible Seafood Innovation Award in the fisheries category for its Jelly-FAD — a fish aggregating device (FAD) that reduces bycatch, ghost fishing and ocean pollution. Built from sustainable, locally sourced materials and free of netting, it cuts entanglement risks while maintaining fishing efficiency.

Learn more

Featured Content

Benefits of ISSA Membership for Seafood Companies

When seafood companies join the International Seafood Sustainability Association (ISSA), they are doing more than supporting tuna and ocean conservation. They are also investing strategically in the resilience, reputation, and long-term success of their business.

Reasons to Join ISSA

In recent E News issues, we have been focusing on business advantages of ISSA membership. This week’s highlight:

Deliver Differentiated Value to Your Customers

Leverage ISSF’s credible tools, science-based resources, and expert consulting to support your customers’ sourcing goals.
Offer them education, data, and the opportunity to sponsor innovation projects that contribute to ocean health earning recognition for their sustainability leadership.

If you’re already an ISSF participating company, vessel, retailer, or consultant focused on sustainable tuna, encourage your seafood partners to explore the value of affordable ISSA membership.

Explore Membership

Apply Now

ISSF in the News
SFP, ISSF, and GFW join forces to strengthen transparency in tuna supply chains.
Europa Azul

Enhancing Supply Chain Transparency in Tuna
Fish Focus

Data Synergy & Market Value: Collaboration, Membership & VOSI Updates | How SFP, GFW & ISSF are advancing tuna transparency — and why ISSA membership matters more than ever

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 9, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

SFP, ISSF, and GFW Join Forces to Enhance Supply Chain Transparency in Tuna

Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), Global Fishing Watch (GFW), and ISSF are collaborating to improve transparency in global tuna fisheries. The groups will leverage their extensive databases to help buyers more holistically assess the environmental impacts and compliance of their tuna supply chains. This collaboration was made possible through grant funding from the Walmart Foundation.

The collaboration will utilize SFP’s FishSource and Seafood Metrics platforms, which buyers widely use to monitor sourcing. It will also integrate information from ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) and Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI), as well as GFW’s Vessel Viewer and Marine Manager. These databases include sustainability indicators beyond the health of fish stocks and management practices, to reflect market needs and ensure responsible tuna sourcing.

ICYMI

VOSI Transparency Tool Tracks Tuna Vessel Best Practices

ISSF recently released a redesigned version of its Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) tool — a first-of-its-kind global transparency resource for seafood supply chain stakeholders to assess tuna vessel participation best-practice sustainability initiatives. The updated VOSI expands the number of practices tracked; new criteria now verify whether vessels are adopting measures to reduce bycatch of vulnerable species like sharks and sea turtles, such as:

Use of circle hooks and finfish bait
Use of monofilament branch lines
Landing sharks with fins naturally attached
Avoiding the use of shark lines

The enhanced tool also continues to report on other practices, from non-entangling and biodegradable FAD use to electronic monitoring and MSC Improvement Program participation. All commitments are independently verified by MRAG Americas through an annual documentation review process, ensuring that vessel-reported actions are credible and transparent.

A new, intuitive platform interface makes it easier for users to filter vessels by specific sustainability practices, vessel flag, or identifier. Quick links to PVR data and exportable vessel profiles help create a seamless user experience.

Explore the redesigned tool

Vessel owners: Apply to VOSI

NEW: Jelly-FAD Wins Top Honor at the Responsible Seafood Summit | ISSF is Responsible Seafood Innovation Awardee

Written by Lynne Mandel on October 3, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

Recognizing Innovation: Jelly-FAD Named Winner, Responsible Seafood Innovation Awards

Each year, the Responsible Seafood Innovation Awards spotlight fresh solutions to some of the industry’s toughest challenges. This week, ISSF won the Global Seafood Alliance’s Responsible Seafood Innovation Award in the fisheries category for its Jelly-FAD — a fish aggregating device (FAD) that reduces bycatch, ghost fishing and ocean pollution. Built from sustainable, locally sourced materials and free of netting, it cuts entanglement risks while maintaining fishing efficiency.

View the ISSF Jelly-FAD Construction Guide

Featured Resource

REPORT: ISSF Evaluates Tuna Stock Sustainability Against MSC Criteria
ISSF released its updated report assessing the status of the world’s tuna stocks against Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification criteria. The analysis benchmarks 23 major commercial tuna stocks on abundance, management, and ecosystem impacts — offering a clear picture of where fisheries are well-aligned with MSC requirements and where improvements are still needed.

Key findings include progress on harvest strategies in some regions, while gaps remain in ensuring precautionary reference points and effective bycatch mitigation measures. The report helps seafood companies, NGOs, and RFMOs track alignment with global sustainability standards and identify priorities for action.

Read the Report

ISSF in the News

Three Impactful Forces Collaborate to Enhance Supply Chain Transparency in Tuna

Read the article

ISSA Membership = Smart Seafood Strategy | Support science-based conservation and stay competitive

Written by Lynne Mandel on September 25, 2025. Posted in eNewsletters, News.

Featured News

Benefits of ISSA Membership for Seafood Companies

Together, ISSA and ISSF deliver unmatched expertise, practical tools, and a network of like-minded businesses, scientists and environmental NGOs working to improve the long-term health of global tuna fisheries

Reasons to Join ISSA
In the coming weeks, we will focus on other business advantages of ISSA membership. This week’s highlight: Protect and Future-Proof Your Supply Chain

Support science-based conservation measures that safeguard tuna stock and thereby de-risk your company’s capital infrastructure.
Align with ISSF initiatives that help to secure a stable, responsible seafood supply — enhancing your company’s attractiveness to customers, financial institutions, and investors.

If you’re already an ISSF participating company, vessel, retailer, or consultant focused on sustainable tuna, encourage your seafood partners to explore the value of affordable ISSA membership.

Explore Membership

Apply Now

ICYMI

ISSF Annual Compliance Report Highlights Industry Progress in Tuna Sustainability and New Conservation Requirements

Report shows 99.6% conformance by participating companies with 33 ISSF conservation measures and 77.5% conformance by PVR-listed vessels with 12 measures

ISSF published its latest ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & ProActive Vessel Register Compliance Report, showcasing the continued commitment of participating companies to sustainable tuna fisheries and responsible supply chains.

For the 2024 audit period, the 24 ISSF participating companies achieved a 99.6% conformance rate across 33 ISSF conservation measures. The report also presents the first audited results for Conservation Measure (CM) 2.5 – Transparency in Reporting Progress Against ISSF’s Five-Year Goal and for the reduction in sourcing Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna, newly in effect under CM 1.3 – IOTC Yellowfin Tuna Rebuilding. In addition, it summarizes the aggregate compliance of vessels on the ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) with ISSF measures applicable to vessel operations.

Read the report

Featured Resource

ISSF Expands Tuna Vessel Best Practices Tracked in VOSI Transparency Tool

ISSF released a fully redesigned version of its Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) tool — a global transparency resource that enables seafood supply chain stakeholders to assess tuna vessel participation in MSC-certified fisheries, fishery improvement projects (FIPs), and other best-practice sustainability initiatives.

The redesigned VOSI expands the number of vessel best practices it tracks to reflect the latest science and evolving industry standards. New criteria now verify whether vessels are adopting measures to reduce bycatch of vulnerable species like sharks and sea turtles, such as:

Use of circle hooks and finfish bait
Use of monofilament branch lines
Landing sharks with fins naturally attached
Avoiding the use of shark lines

The enhanced tool continues to report on other practices, from non-entangling and biodegradable FAD use to electronic monitoring and MSC Improvement Program participation. All listed commitments are independently verified by MRAG Americas, ensuring that vessel-reported actions are both credible and transparent. In addition, a new intuitive interface makes it easier for users to filter vessels by sustainability practices, vessel flag, or identifier. Quick links to ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) data and exportable vessel profiles help create a seamless user experience.

Explore the redesigned tool: https://www.iss-foundation.org/vessel-and-company-commitments/vessels-in-other-sustainability-initiatives-vosi/vosi-tool/

Vessel owners interested in applying: Apply to VOSI