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Author: Lynne Mandel

ISSF Announces Committee Members | New Experts Join Science & Environmental Stakeholder Committees

Featured News

Dr. Ana Parma Joins as New Member of the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee; Daniel Suddaby Joins as New Member of the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee

ISSF is pleased to announce new members Dr. Ana Parma to the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Daniel Suddaby to the Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC).

“We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Ana Parma to the SAC and are confident that her broad experience in fisheries, including tuna, will be vitally important in continuing our efforts to identify and advocate for sustainable fishing practices,” said Susan Jackson, ISSF President.

The ISSF SAC is a diverse group of leading experts in fisheries science and tuna populations who offer guidance on organizational research priorities and support development of ISSF’s technical reports.

ISSF also welcomes Daniel Suddaby, Executive Director for the Global Tuna Alliance, as a new member to the ESC.

“Mr. Suddaby has two decades of experience that will prove greatly important to our collaborative work. We are thankful to have him be a part of our Environmental Stakeholder Committee and look forward to benefitting from his expertise in fisheries and marine conservation,” said Ms. Jackson.

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Featured Content

85% of Global Tuna Catch Comes from Stocks at Healthy Levels

 Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 85% comes from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the latest ISSF Status of the Stocks report. Overfished stocks accounted for 11% of the total catch, and 4% of the catch came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance.

No individual stock statuses have changed since the March 2023 Status of the Stocks report. The latest report incorporates recent stock-assessment results for Western Pacific bigeye, Western Pacific yellowfin, North Pacific albacore, North Atlantic albacore, and Southern bluefin, none of which has changed. The lack of substantial changes in stock status between report periods highlights the value of continuous scientific assessments to inform stock-management decisions.

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Featured Resource

Interactive Stock Status and Catch Tool
Our interactive tool allows you to visualize current and historical data from ISSF’s Status of the Stocks report, which compiles scientific assessments of 23 commercial tuna stocks worldwide.

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.

Access the interactive tool

 

ISSF in the News

Susan Jackson – Conserving Fisheries and Shared Resources

Grey Matter Show

 

Testing Biodegradable Fishing Gear Around the World | NEW Infographics & Video

Featured Research

Jelly-FADs: Science Leads the Way on Improved FAD Design

ISSF is working to discover and promote best practices for an urgent change in fishing gear: the biodegradable fish aggregating device, or bio-FAD. Some of our most exciting work centers on “jelly-FADs”—bio-FADs designed in collaboration with a team of physical oceanographers.

Jelly-FADs are made of organic materials and are smaller than traditional models, yet they drift slowly, like jellyfish, so ocean currents are less likely to carry them too far afield. Both of those qualities will reduce their environmental impact if they are lost or abandoned.

An ISSF video offers a behind-the-scenes look at designing and testing jelly-FADs.

Watch

Featured Graphics

NEW! Map & Timeline of Biodegradable FAD Research 

ISSF sponsors at-sea research to find the best non-entangling designs and natural materials for FADs that can biodegrade.

An updated map shows where new trials and deployments of biodegradable FADs are taking place around the world. It also indicates the tuna fishing gear types, fleets, and dates for each project.

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An updated timeline shows ISSF research and other activities in 2009–2023 focused on brainstorming, designing, and testing biodegradable FADs for tuna fishers.

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ICYMI

Reviewing Outcomes for Tuna Fisheries

As we look forward to another year of collaborative work at ISSF, we’re also looking back at last year’s notable results.

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Reviewing Outcomes for Tuna Fisheries

Happy New Year! As we look forward to another year of collaborative work at ISSF, we’re also looking back at last year’s notable results.

From compliance improvements to harvest strategies, how did tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) progress priority areas of sustainable fisheries management in 2023?

Read on for a recap of outcomes as reviewed by ISSF’s fisheries science and policy experts.

Some Hits, Some Misses for Indian Ocean Tuna Resources at Annual Meeting
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Progress for Eastern Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries, Including Harvest Strategy for North Pacific Albacore and Requirements for Non-entangling FADs
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Mixed Results at ICCAT: Compliance Reforms and Electronic Monitoring Standards Among Positive Results
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Uneven Outcomes for Western and Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries at Management Meeting
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