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Author: Lynne Mandel

88% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels | ISSF Updates Status of the Stocks Report

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88% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels; 10% Requires Stronger Management

Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 88% comes from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the November 2024 ISSF Status of the Stocks report, marking an improvement of two percentage points compared to previous March 2024 report findings. Overfished stocks account for 10% of the total catch—unchanged from the last report. The percentage of the catch that came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance decreased from 4%—as reported in March 2024—to 2%.

Changes in stock status ratings since the March 2024 report include:

  • Abundance or “spawning biomass” (SSB) and exploitation rate or fishing mortality (F) ratings for Eastern Pacific Ocean bigeye improved from yellow to green.
  • Pacific Ocean bluefin’s F rating also improved from yellow to green.
  • SSB and F ratings for Atlantic Ocean Mediterranean albacore changed from orange to yellow. However, there is high uncertainty about the stock status due to poor monitoring and basic fishery statistics.

According to the November 2024 report, the below tuna stocks are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:

  • Indian Ocean bigeye and Indian Ocean yellowfin stocks are overfished and subject to overfishing, unchanged since the March 2024 report.
  • Pacific Ocean bluefin is overfished, also unchanged since the March 2024 report.

In terms of Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO) stock management, key updates since March 2024 include:

  • The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) adopted a new management procedure for skipjack tuna that will help reverse overcatch and ensure the long-term sustainability of the species.
  • The IOTC and the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) released updated fish aggregating device (FAD) measures, helping to improve how FADs are used and managed, reducing the impacts of FADs on the ecosystem, and increasing monitoring of these devices at sea.

ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report several times yearly using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks. This Status of the Stocks report summarizes the results of recent scientific assessments of these stocks and the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs, as of September 30, 2024.

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Featured Tool

Interactive Stock Status Tool

Our interactive tool allows you to visualize current and historical data from ISSF’s Status of the Stocks report. The tool has three tabs — one for visualizing tuna stock health since 2011, another for visualizing the current tuna catch by fishing method, and a third with catch trends by fishing method since 1950.

Explore HERE

 

 

ICYMI

ISSF Welcomes Strong Outcomes for Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at Management Meeting, including the Adoption of Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently wrapped its annual meeting in Fiji. With the majority of the world’s tuna catch sourced from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), the WCPFC gathering is highly anticipated and closely watched.

This year’s meeting concluded with several positive results for Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries, including for electronic monitoring (EM) and management procedures. ISSF urged action on these priority topics, among others. Here is a review of the outcomes of the WCPFC meeting against our organization’s most critical asks.

Keep Reading

 

ISSF in the News

ISSF’s New Compliance Report Shows 99.1% Participating Company Conformance

Fish Focus

 

ISSF: Strong progress for Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries

World Fishing & Aquaculture

 

Strong Outcomes for Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at WCPFC Meeting | ISSF Welcomes the Adoption of Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring

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ISSF Welcomes Strong Outcomes for Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at Management Meeting, including the Adoption of Minimum Standards for Electronic Monitoring

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) recently wrapped its annual meeting in Fiji. With the majority of the world’s tuna catch sourced from the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO), the WCPFC gathering is highly anticipated and closely watched.

This year’s meeting concluded with several positive results for Pacific Ocean tuna fisheries, including for electronic monitoring (EM) and management procedures. ISSF urged action on these priority topics, among others. Here is a review of the outcomes of the WCPFC meeting against our organization’s most critical asks.

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ISSF Welcomes Progress for Atlantic Ocean Tuna Fisheries | PLUS! UPDATED Report: 17 of 23 ISSF Companies Fully Compliant with 33 Sustainable Fishing Measures Audited

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Strong Results at ICCAT Annual Session: New Tropical Tuna Measure and Management Procedure for Skipjack Tuna

ISSF is welcoming strong progress for Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries as the annual meeting of International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) concludes. We are especially pleased that the Commission adopted an updated tropical tuna management measure, as well as a management procedure for western Atlantic skipjack tuna.

Here is a review of the outcomes of the ICCAT meeting against some of our organization’s priorities as outlined in our 2024 position statement.

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Latest Update to ISSF Participating Company Compliance Report Shows 99.1% Conformance with ISSF Conservation Measures

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its Update to ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & ProActive Vessel Register Compliance Report, which shows a conformance rate of 99.1% by 23 ISSF participating companies with all 33 ISSF conservation measures in effect.

This report updates the ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & ProActive Vessel Register Compliance Report published in June 2024 and reflects efforts by ISSF participating companies to improve on those instances where less than full compliance was achieved. Remedial audits, if any, take place between June and October each year against measures for companies with minor nonconformance or major nonconformance.

Following the remediation period since the annual compliance report in June 2024, 17 of 23 companies fully complied with 33 audited measures, five companies had one minor non-conformance, and one had two minor non-conformances. The 99.1% conformance rate is a slight increase from 98.95% in June.

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Featured Video

Building on Our Successes – Transparent Accountability

ISSF President Susan Jackson discusses how ISSF is making transparent accountability in the global tuna industry possible.
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BLOG: Priorities for Pacific Tuna Fisheries | Managers Must Boost Monitoring and Stock Sustainability

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At Annual WCPFC Meeting, Pacific Fisheries Managers Must Boost Monitoring and Stock Sustainability

The tuna fisheries in the western and central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) are the largest and most valuable in the world. The region produces 51 percent of the global tuna catch, and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) is the regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) responsible for managing these expansive ocean waters.

WCPFC is charged with ensuring the sustainability of highly migratory fish stocks, including tunas and sharks, across a vast area of ocean — a challenging task given the large number and types of vessels engaging in tuna fishing and the prevalence of at-sea transshipment activities in the region.

At WCPFC’s November 28–December 3 annual meeting in Fiji, members must improve their control over these fisheries by strengthening vessel oversight and improving tuna conservation measures for long-term sustainability. ISSF urges members to take the following priority actions…

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Featured Resources

ISSF investigates and promotes science-based approaches for ensuring the long-term sustainability of global tuna stocks and the marine ecosystem. The ISSF team works collaboratively with peer scientists, academics, environmental experts, governing bodies, and other stakeholders on issues where we can advance our understanding about sustainable fishing — and make a positive impact.

We publish reports, develop resources, and host events that support fishery health in key areas: tuna conservationfish aggregating device (FAD) managementmarine ecosystem healthbycatch reductioncapacity management, and illegal fishing prevention.

Learn more

 

In addition to sharing research findings and analysis in ISSF reports, our scientists and advocacy experts co-author peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.

See a list of peer-reviewed articles co-authored by our Staff, Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) members, or other scientists whose projects were partially or fully funded by ISSF.

Access articles

 

Additionally, ISSF scientists, collaborating researchers, and members of the ISSF SAC submit papers to tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) on a variety of topics.

Dive in

 

ICYMI

A Global View of Influence for Sustainable Fishing Policies

Beginning with a network of 23 leading seafood companies and extending to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified tuna fisheries and tuna fishery improvement projects (FIPs) — including stakeholders that ISSF technical experts engage with — ISSF’s advocacy partnerships have a broad global reach and impact. A new Web feature visualizes that “influence network” in four major tuna fishing regions.

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INTERACTIVE MAP: Influencing for Sustainable Fishing Policies | NEW Web Feature

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A Global View of Influence for Sustainable Fishing Policies

Beginning with a network of 23 leading seafood companies and extending to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified tuna fisheries and tuna fishery improvement projects (FIPs) — including stakeholders that ISSF technical experts engage with — ISSF’s advocacy partnerships have a broad global reach and impact. A new Web feature visualizes that “influence network” in four major tuna fishing regions.

View Story

See All Immersive Web Features

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ICCAT Must Rebuild Atlantic Ocean Tuna Stocks and Expand Management Procedures

ISSF Outlines Priorities for Atlantic Ocean Tuna Fisheries

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is responsible for the conservation and management of tunas, sharks, and other highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean. At their annual meeting in November, ICCAT members must focus on fulfilling the Commission’s mandate and ensuring the sustainability of its fisheries.

ISSF urges members and cooperating non-members at the annual meeting of ICCAT to take the following priority actions…

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ICYMI

More Harvest Strategies for More Stocks Can Help Fisheries Managers Mitigate Political Pressure and Climate Change Impacts on Global Tuna Fisheries 

With 4.8 million tonnes caught annually, tuna are one of the world’s most popular and nutritious seafood species, fundamental to global food security and serving as an economic engine for many coastal communities. It is essential that the regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), charged with overseeing the world’s tuna fisheries, identify and implement tools for the long-term, sustainable management of global tuna resources.

Harvest strategies, also known as management procedures, are one such proven tool available to RFMOs. Yet these management frameworks are in place for only a handful of the 23 commercial tuna stocks. ISSF continues to advocate that tuna RFMOs establish harvest strategies for more tuna stocks—because closing this gap will help fisheries managers mitigate both the political pressures and climate change impacts on global fisheries.

Read the complete guest blog by ISSF Senior Scientist Hilario Murua for harveststrategies.org.

Read More Harvest Strategies…

How Fisheries Managers Can Protect Atlantic Ocean Tuna Fisheries | Our ICCAT Position Statement

The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will convene its annual meeting in Cyprus beginning November 11. Here are five ways in which fisheries managers can work toward more sustainable Atlantic Ocean (AO) tuna fisheries at these meetings.

1. Adopt a workplan for the ICCAT Compliance Committee to develop audit points for management measures, and adopt procedures to address non-compliance with total allowable catch (TAC) allocations.

A strong and transparent compliance process improves fisheries management by holding regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) members accountable. Although ICCAT has one of the most well designed, transparent compliance assessment processes amongst tuna RFMOs, these processes can continue to be strengthened.

2. Adopt a new recommendation for tropical tuna management that ensures bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks are maintained at sustainable levels—which will require stronger measures to reduce yellowfin catch. The measure should fully allocate the TAC between ICCAT members, especially for yellowfin. ICCAT must also maintain the current TAC for Mediterranean albacore.

Since it came into effect in 2012, the AO yellowfin tuna TAC has been exceeded every year but one. In addition, the TAC is not allocated by member or gear, making it impossible to identify non-compliance. A 2024 assessment estimated the stock to be very close to the biomass and fishing mortality levels that support maximum sustainable yield (MSY), and projections at the current level of catch indicate that it will become overfished. Therefore, stronger management measures are needed to reduce the catch.

A 2024 stock assessment of Mediterranean albacore resulted in different stock status outcomes, based on two differing data inputs. Projections made under either outcome indicate that the current TAC of 2,500 tonnes will allow the stock to continue to rebuild.

3. Strengthen fish aggregating device (FAD) management as part of a revised tropical tuna conservation measure, specifically:

  • Clarify that FADs must be fully non-entangling
  • Adopt a definition of “biodegradable” consistent with peer RFMOs, and establish a timeline for transition to biodegradable FADs also consistent with what has already been adopted by other RFMOs
  • Establish a timeline to develop a FAD register

If the Commission extends the current recommendation for tropical tuna conservation and management for another year, adopt a stand-alone FAD measure that includes all of the above asks.

Recent difficult discussions on allocation surrounding ICCAT’s tropical tuna measure have put aside important actions for improved FAD management—like FAD design, recovery, activation/deactivation rules, data use for science, and more. ICCAT must bring its FAD measures in line with best practices.

4. Increase observer coverage for large-scale longline vessels to 20%—allowing for the use of electronic monitoring (EM) to reach this level.Comprehensive observer coverage is critical to effective fisheries management, compliance monitoring, and independent verification of catch, effort, species composition and bycatch. 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) for major fisheries is feasible and necessary.

ICCAT’s minimum 10% observer coverage requirement for longline vessels fishing for tropical tunas remains too low for bycatch estimates to be reliable. EM can help increase coverage, and last year ICCAT adopted minimum EM standards and program requirements for purse seine and longline fisheries. ICCAT members with longline fisheries must now embrace this opportunity to improve monitoring.

5. Strengthen the regulation of at-sea transshipment in line with best practice standards, including requiring: near real-time electronic reporting for all transshipment activity; that carrier vessels only to be flagged to members; and that automatic identification system (AIS) data are reported in addition to required vessel monitoring systems (VMS) data.

If not well-managed, transshipment at-sea can be a conduit for illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fish to enter the supply chain. ICCAT strengthened its transshipment regulations in 2021, but they should be further improved.

For the full list of our asks of AO fisheries managers, read our position statement, available in English, French, and Spanish, on the ISSF website.

Resource Round Up | All the Latest on Tuna Fisheries Sustainability

Featured Content

ISSF investigates and promotes science-based approaches for ensuring the long-term sustainability of global tuna stocks and the marine ecosystem.

The ISSF team works collaboratively with peer scientists, academics, environmental experts, governing bodies, and other stakeholders on issues where we can advance our understanding about sustainable fishing — and make a positive impact.

We publish reports, develop resources, and host events that support fishery health in key areas: tuna conservation, fish aggregating device (FAD) management, marine ecosystem health, bycatch reduction, capacity management, and illegal fishing prevention.

Learn More

 
Our scientists document activities and insights from ISSF at-sea research projects, international workshops and meetings, and fisheries data analysis.

Peruse ISSF Reports

 
In addition to sharing research findings and analysis in ISSF reports, our scientists and advocacy experts co-author peer-reviewed articles in leading journals.

See a list of peer-reviewed articled co-authored by our Staff, Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) members, or other scientists whose projects were partially or fully funded by ISSF.

Access articles

 
Additionally, ISSF scientists, collaborating researchers, and members of the ISSF SAC submit papers to tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) on a variety of topics.

Dive in

Featured Resource

We produce interactive stories for our site — featuring exclusive video footage as well as original photography, illustrations, and animations — on sustainable fishing topics. Stories include:

Explore ISSF’s Web features for an immersive introduction to ISSF’s unique research and advocacy work.

Experience ISSF Web features

ISSF in the News

NOAA recommends funding for bycatch reduction projects
Seafood Source

SENA Panel: Achieving Full Traceability: The Need for Vessel-Level Data and Opportunities for Industry-Government Engagement
Seafood Source

REPORT: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

ICYMI

UPDATED REPORT: Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries

An effective allocation framework is fundamental to the implementation of sustainable fisheries management. An allocation is not necessarily an end in itself. Instead, it is designed to facilitate a final conservation and management objective. The first step is to limit participants in an effective way. Then, the fishing possibilities need to be defined — for example, fishing effort, catch, capacity, FADs, bycatch limits, or time and area. Initial allocations will necessarily result from negotiations among the participants, since there is no one formula that is either “best” or acceptable in every situation. Other steps include specifying rules for transfers of fishing possibilities and understanding the limitations of allocations. Transparent mechanisms for implementation and compliance are also necessary.

The Cordoba Conference (ISSF, 2011) was a follow up to another conference held the previous year: the Bellagio Framework for Sustainable Tuna Fisheries (ISSF, 2010), which was developed by a group of experts who concluded that sustainable tuna fisheries could be achieved by successfully implementing three pillars: capacity controls, rights-based management, and effective Monitoring, Control and Surveillance (MCS). The Cordoba Conference expanded upon the second pillar, developing a series of concepts and recommendations for allocation of property rights (to flag states) and subsequent use rights (to individuals or groups within a flag state).

While the Bellagio Framework and Cordoba Conference were well received, the conceptof rights-based management has not gained much traction in tuna RFMOs. Yet allocation discussions continue to be urgently important and involve difficult and contentious negotiations for many stocks globally.

An updated report, Addressing Allocation in Global Tuna Fisheries: Lessons Learned from the Cordoba Conference, reprises the allocation concepts of the Conference, but without a focus on property rights. Some of the concepts have been expanded to make them more useful to stakeholders. Co-authors Dr. Dale Squires and Dr. Victor Restrepo intend to recast the report as a useful tool for today’s participants in allocation negotiations.

Read the Update

 

Featured Graphic

An infographic shows the size and fishing capacity of the large-scale purse-seine fleet fishing for tropical tunas worldwide, based on ISSF research. It also indicates how ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) helps to provide transparency of the fleet’s fishing activities, including changes in fish hold volume.

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Featured Report

Snapshot of the Purse Seine Fishing Fleets Shows 3% Increase in Fishing Capacity Despite Slight Decrease in the Number of Large Scale Purse-Seine Vessels; 78% of Vessels Listed on ISSF ProActive Vessel Register  

ISSF has updated its Snapshot of Large-Scale Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets report for 2024. The report shows approximately 650 vessels defined as large-scale purse-seine (LSPS) vessels are fishing for tropical tuna species, a slight decrease from last year, with a combined fishing capacity of 863,000 m3 (cubic meters), a 3% increase from last year.

Purse seine fishing vessels catch about 66% of the 5.2 million tonnes of tuna caught annually worldwide. ISSF analyzes and aggregates information from the five tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and other sources to create this annual report focusing on LSPS vessels targeting tropical tuna species: skipjack, yellowfin and bigeye.

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SLIDESHOW: Setting Sail for Science

Biologist Dr. Melissa Cronin spent six weeks on board the purse seine vessel Andrea 1, which left from Manta, Ecuador in March 2024. Melissa traveled as part of an ISSF-and-partners project to test a bycatch reduction device for manta and devil rays.

A slideshow of images offers a behind-the-scenes look at Melissa’s experience on a working fishing vessel and reviews the goals and outcomes of this collaborative research.

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Guide: Helping Fishers Build Netting-free, Biodegradable FADs

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Jelly-FAD Construction Guide Helps Fishers Build Netting-free, Biodegradable FADs for More Sustainable Tuna Fishing

ISSF offers a comprehensive step-by-step guide that shows commercial tuna fishers how to build “jelly-FADs” — an innovative nearly 100% biodegradable and non-entangling design for fish aggregating devices (FADs).

For many years, FADs have been a widely used fishing strategy due to their high efficiency for catching tuna. About 38% of the global tuna catch is made with FADs. But conventional FADs can have negative impacts, such as contributing to overfishing, bycatch, and marine pollution.

To reduce FAD fishing’s effects on non-target marine animals and ocean ecosystems, ISSF scientists developed the jelly-FAD in collaboration with physical oceanographers from the Instituto de Ciencies del Mar (CSIC) and tuna fleets — testing and refining the design through workshops, lab research, and at-sea trials in real fishing conditions.

“The Jelly-FAD Construction Guide shows tuna fishers how to build what we believe is the most sustainable non-entangling FAD to date,” said Dr. Gala Moreno, ISSF senior scientist. “The jelly-FAD represents a new concept in drifting FADs (DFADs), whose structure and materials have been relatively static for decades. To make jelly-FADs, you do not need to have unusual materials, special equipment, or advanced carpentry skills. We intend the jelly-FAD to be as simple and affordable as possible for fishers around the world to build.”

Inspired by the neutral buoyancy of jellyfish, the jelly-FAD design not only is made without netting but also is almost completely biodegradable, and it offers additional sustainability and durability advantages over previous non-entangling FAD (NEFAD) and biodegradable FAD (bio-FAD) designs.

Download the Guide

 

ICYMI

Web Feature Explores Challenges and Solutions in FAD Fishing

“Fresh Thinking About FADs” is an immersive ISSF Web feature that illustrates efforts to foster sustainable fishing approaches, including the jelly-FAD. It tells the visual story of improving FAD design and management as readers scroll through interactive content that includes animated infographics and under-water photography.

“Fresh Thinking” describes how FADs have changed over time; the environmental drawbacks of conventional FAD designs; the jelly-FAD characteristics that help to reduce bycatch and ocean pollution; and science-based solutions for more sustainable FAD design and management, which ultimately support healthier tuna fisheries and oceans.

“No fishing method is without impact, but collaborative efforts are making fishing with FADs more sustainable,” noted Victor Restrepo, Vice President, Science, ISSF. “We still have work to do toward improving the use of FADs while ensuring that there are plenty of fish in the sea. But we’ve made substantial progress to date. ISSF and likeminded organizations will continue to work toward achievable, science-based solutions for reducing the impact of FAD fishing on global tuna fisheries and the broader marine ecosystem.”

Experience the web feature

 

Featured ISSF Conservation Measure

ISSF Participating Companies are seafood companies that commit to conform to ISSF conservation measures (CM) for improving the long-term health of tuna fisheries. We adopted CM 3.7 Transactions with Vessels or Companies with Vessel-Based FAD Management Policies as part of our commitment to supporting better FAD management globally. All companies were in full conformance with CM 3.7 in our June 2024 audit and compliance report.

Review ISSF CM 3.7

 

Featured Resource

Tracking Vessel FAD Best Practices on VOSI

Independently verified by auditor MRAG Americas, the Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) list is a public transparency tool that shows which tuna vessels have made voluntary commitments to more sustainable fishing — commitments beyond the items tracked on the ISSF ProActive Vessel Register (PVR), which are exclusively tied to ISSF conservation measures.

VOSI indicates if a vessel is:

  • Using only fully non-entangling FADs (with no netting)​​
  • Providing FAD echosounder biomass data​​
  • Providing FAD buoy daily position data
  • Participating in biodegradable FAD trials
  • Participating in FAD recovery initiatives
  • Participating in a FIP or MSC-certified fishery​
  • Participating in an In Transition to MSC (ITM) fishery ​​
  • Has installed and is using electronic monitoring systems (EMS)​

Explore VOSI

Tuna RFMOs & Electronic Monitoring (EM) | How are RFMOs Embracing EM?

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What is Electronic Monitoring?

An electronic monitoring system (EMS) is an advanced fishing-monitoring system installed in fishing vessels that integrates a set of components for continuously recording information during fishing trips. EMS largely consist of cameras integrated with GPS that register exact positions, and sensors that start recording when they detect specific actions on the vessels — such as setting or hauling fishing gear.

EMS, if properly installed and designed, can be considered a reliable and accurate method to estimate catches and monitor fishing activities onboard vessels. EMS can be valuable for science and compliance purposes.

Learn more by accessing relevant reports, op-eds, and infographics on our EM landing page on the ISSF website. 

Dive in

ICYMI

BLOG: Focused Effort by IATTC on Electronic Monitoring Brings Critical Progress, Sets Example for RFMO Negotiations

By adopting interim EM minimum standards, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) is poised to improve monitoring levels — making more data available for scientific work and for assessing the implementation of management measures. More importantly, in swiftly and successfully tackling a complex problem, IATTC has demonstrated that the RFMO decision-making process can be both efficient and constructive. Now IATTC must dedicate resources and energy to the next phase of its work: promoting the value, implementation, and use of EM across the EPO.

IATTC is the third major tuna RFMO to adopt EM standards. The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) — which has an overlap in convention areas and vessels with IATTC — remains the only tuna RFMO without minimum EM standards. ISSF challenges WCPFC to join its peer tuna RFMOs by filling this important gap when the Commission convenes later this year.

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Featured Graphic

In this infographic, ISSF benchmarks tuna RFMO requirements for observer coverage — including electronic monitoring (EM) — against best practices.

The infographic tracks priority areas for reform, indicating whether an RFMO has the priority reform in place, has a partial reform in place, or does not have a reform in place.

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ISSF in the News

IATTC adopts electronic monitoring standards, improvements to compliance processes
Seafood Source

IATTC electronic monitoring ‘win’ welcomed
World Fishing & Aquaculture

The State of Tuna Fishing: What You Need to Know
Speak Up for Blue Podcast Network: How to Protect the Ocean Podcast