Author: svanouse

ISSF Expands the Sustainable Fishing Initiatives Tracked on VOSI Vessel List

Written by svanouse on October 7, 2026. Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has expanded its Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI) resource to track vessel adoption of four additional, science-based best practices to reduce bycatch and protect marine ecosystems in tuna fisheries. The VOSI criteria for recognizing vessels using electronic monitoring, a best practice for ensuring comprehensive observer coverage of fishing activities, also has been updated.

Launched in 2020, VOSI provides information on vessels that have implemented sustainable-fishing initiatives that go beyond regulatory requirements. VOSI now tracks a total 15 individual best practices or indicators of sustainable fishing — in addition to noting participation in Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)-certified fisheries, MSC Improvement Programs, and fishery improvement projects — for vessels worldwide.

More than 1,300 purse-seine, longline, pole-and-line, and supply-and-tender vessels are listed in VOSI. Independent auditor MRAG Americas annually verifies each listed vessel’s best practice recognition(s).

Stakeholders can use VOSI to search and filter vessel profiles by initiative type, vessel flag, vessel type and unique vessel identifier. They also can access related ProActive Vessel Register (PVR) vessel information within the VOSI interface. VOSI users can “pin,” copy, and export vessel data.

“Our VOSI resource helps turn vessel sustainability commitments into information that market partners and other stakeholders can see and use,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “By continuing to expand the independently verified practices that VOSI tracks, we make it easier for users to identify which vessels have been taking certain concrete and important steps to fish more sustainably.”

Four New Best Practices in FAD Use and Seabird Bycatch Mitigation

VOSI now tracks vessels with independently verified implementation of these sustainability practices:

Biodegradable FADs only (purse seine and supply & tender vessels): The only FADs a vessel deploys are made of fully biodegradable materials (Category I) or fully biodegradable materials except for plastic-based flotation components (Category II). This indicator complements VOSI’s existing indicator for participation in biodegradable FAD trials
Seabird bycatch mitigation measures for longline vessels: When tuna fishing in southern temperate latitudes, the longline vessel uses at least two of these three practices to reduce seabird bycatch: weighted branch lines, night setting, and tori lines
Hook-shielding devices for longline vessels: When fishing in southern temperate latitudes, the longline vessel uses a hook-shielding device as a stand-alone seabird bycatch mitigation measure
Underwater bait-setting devices for longline vessels: When fishing in southern temperate latitudes, the longline vessel uses an underwater bait-setting device as a stand-alone seabird bycatch mitigation measure

These seabird protection initiatives align with ISSF Conservation Measure 3.6 and best practices outlined in ISSF’s Skippers’ Guidebook to Sustainable Longline Fishing Practices.

The biodegradable FAD indicator helps VOSI users distinguish vessels that already have adopted and deploy only Category I and/or Category II biodegradable FAD designs from those vessels participating in bio-FAD trials.

Together, these four additional indicators can provide greater visibility into vessels’ adoption of key sustainability practices. Vessel owners who wish to demonstrate progress — and offer sustainable-fishing stakeholders more extensive verified vessel data — can apply for VOSI recognition now.

Updated Electronic Monitoring Recognition

ISSF also expanded its criteria for vessels to receive recognition under VOSI’s existing Electronic Monitoring (EM) indicator. A vessel may now qualify for the indicator by demonstrating that it meets the EM standard applicable in the tuna regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) area where it operates and makes EM data — such as analyzed records or image footage — available to that RFMO proactively, even in cases where EM is not formally required. These criteria recognize vessels taking steps to improve transparency and accountability beyond regulatory requirements.

Explore the updated VOSI tool, which is free to use and does not require an account, here.

Vessel owners interested in applying for VOSI recognition can learn more here.

ISSF Suspends Aneka Tuna Indonesia Following ISSF Conservation Measure Non-Conformance

Written by svanouse on September 29, 2026. Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) today announced that its Board voted on September 23, 2026, to suspend PT Aneka Tuna Indonesia (ATI) from ISSF participation following non-conformance with an ISSF conservation measure, effective immediately.

ATI received a major non-conformance with ISSF Conservation Measure 2.3 – Product Labeling by Species and Area of Capture in two consecutive annual independent audit cycles. The measure requires ISSF participating companies to identify the tuna species and ocean of capture for their branded tuna products, either on the product label or through a publicly available web-based traceability system.

Following the initial finding, ATI was directed to provide a remediation plan. ATI did not provide the requested plan, and the subsequent independent audit identified a repeat major non-conformance with the same measure.

ISSF participating companies undergo annual independent audits against applicable conservation measures. Under the ISSA Compliance Policy, non-conformances are subject to remediation and review. ATI’s repeat major non-conformance was referred to a compliance committee, whose recommendation was presented to the Board before its suspension vote.

ATI is no longer an ISSF participating company.

ISSF Releases 2026 Snapshot of Tuna Purse-Seine Fishing Fleets

Written by svanouse on September 16, 2026. Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its report A Snapshot of the Large-Scale Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets as of August 2026, continuing a unique global assessment that has tracked changes in the size, composition, and fishing capacity of the tropical-tuna purse-seine fleet since 2012. Because no single organization maintains a complete global database on tropical-tuna purse seiners, ISSF’s annually compiles vessel information from all five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) and other sources to provide a consistent, year-over-year view of global fleet size and capacity.

The 2026 analysis estimates that 693 large-scale purse-seine (LSPS) vessels are fishing for tropical tuna species, up from 675 in 2025. These vessels have a combined fish hold volume (FHV) of approximately 895,000 m³(cubic meters), compared with approximately 865,000 m³last year. Both the number of vessels and their combined FHV have increased by about 3% over the past year.

The report also expands its analysis of vessel participation in ISSF transparency tools, linking fleet-wide data with vessel-level information to provide additional insight into fishing capacity, vessel transparency, and participation in sustainable-fishing initiatives.

Of the 693 large-scale purse-seine vessels targeting tropical tunas, 505 — representing 73% of vessels and 83% of FHV — are listed on ISSF’s ProActive Vessel Register (PVR). Vessels on the PVR are tracked on sustainable-fishing best practices and independently audited for compliance with select ISSF Conservation Measures. For the first time, the report also includes data from ISSF’s Vessels in Other Sustainability Initiatives (VOSI), which identifies tuna vessels that have made public commitments to sustainable fishing beyond those reflected on the PVR. The analysis found that 402 LSPS vessels are listed on VOSI, representing 58% of vessels and 69% of FHV.

“Understanding changes in the global tuna fleet requires looking beyond vessel counts at a single point in time,” said Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF Vice President of Science. “By bringing together information from all five tuna RFMOs and other sources, and analyzing it annually, ISSF provides a comprehensive view of global fleet size and capacity that would not otherwise exist. These data can help RFMOs, governments, scientists, industry, and other stakeholders better understand changes in fishing capacity — and support more informed fisheries management and greater transparency.”

The ISSF analysis relies primarily on authorized vessel records maintained by the five tuna RFMOs, supplemented by other sources. It also highlights gaps or inconsistencies in available vessel information (e.g., vessel capacity values).

LSPS vessels are defined in the report as vessels with at least 335 m³ in FHV that target tropical tuna species — skipjack, yellowfin, and bigeye.

View the new A Snapshot of the Large-Scale Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fishing Fleets as of August 2026 report here and the related infographic here.

Key Findings from the 2026 Snapshot

New Vessel Additions: Twenty-four LSPS vessels built after 2012 were added to RFMO authorized vessel records since the June 2025 Snapshot report, including 10 vessels built in 2025 and three built in 2026.
Fleet Turnover: Nineteen LSPS vessels were removed because they were scrapped, sank, or no longer appeared in RFMO authorized vessel records. An additional 19 vessels changed name and/or flag.
Global Purse-Seine Fleet Growth: The estimated total number of tuna purse-seine vessels worldwide increased by 2%, from 2,106 in 2025 to 2,148 in 2026.
Cross-Regional Authorization: Approximately 12% of LSPS vessels targeting tropical tunas are authorized to fish in more than one RFMO region — an important consideration in assessing and managing fishing capacity at the regional level.

These year-to-year changes illustrate why consistent global vessel data matter for fisheries management. Information on fleet size, FHV, vessel construction and retirement, flagging, and cross-RFMO authorization can inform research and policy discussions related to fishing capacity, authorized vessel lists, vessel registration and identification, fishing quotas, and compliance. More complete and consistent vessel information can also strengthen vessel traceability and efforts to prevent illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Recommendations to Strengthen Vessel Data and Transparency

The report also identifies opportunities for vessel owners and tuna RFMOs to improve the quality, completeness, and transparency of vessel information, including:

Expand IMO Number Use: Adoption of International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers among LSPS vessels has grown substantially, from 12% in 2011 to 99% today. ISSF recommends expanding IMO number use across additional vessel types and sizes.
Keep Vessel Information Current: Owners of vessels with IMO numbers should communicate changes in vessel details to IHS Maritime to ensure profiles are accurate and up to date.
Improve RFMO Vessel Data Quality: Although the quality of RFMO vessel records has improved in recent years, the annual snapshot report continues to identify substantial changes and data gaps. Vessels may disappear from authorized vessel records, previously unlisted vessels may appear, and new vessel information can lead to changes in vessel classifications. Continued quality control and more complete reporting would strengthen the reliability of these records.
Track Active Fishing Capacity: RFMOs should maintain not only lists of vessels authorized to fish but also records that identify the vessels actively fishing each year, providing a clearer picture of operational fishing capacity.

Expanding Global Capacity Analysis to Tuna Longline Fleets

ISSF’s longstanding purse-seine research is complemented this year by its first global analysis of tuna longline fleets. Published in July 2026, Characteristics of Longline Fleets Registered in Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations as of June 2026 was modeled on the global approach ISSF has developed in its purse-seine snapshot series. The longline report harmonized vessel registry information from all five tuna RFMOs into a single dataset comprising 7,288 unique longline vessels.

Purse-seine and longline fishing account for approximately 66% and 9%, respectively — or three-quarters — of the global tuna catch. Together, these ISSF reports provide stakeholders with a broader picture of fleet composition, distribution, and fishing capacity across the two gear types responsible for the majority of global tuna production.

Both reports also demonstrate why assessing fishing capacity requires looking beyond vessel numbers alone. FHV can provide a more informative picture of operational fleet capacity. In the longline analysis, for example, 2,283 vessels measuring 24 meters or longer represented approximately 31% of registered longline vessels but accounted for approximately 86% of estimated longline FHV.

By identifying both fleet trends and gaps in vessel information, the two ISSF reports can support more data-driven fisheries research, policy development, monitoring, and compliance — while highlighting ways to improve the completeness, consistency, traceability, and transparency of the vessel data on which effective fisheries management depends.

IATTC Makes Some Progress But Defers Key Tuna Management Decisions

Written by svanouse on September 9, 2026. Posted in Blogs, News.

The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) concluded its 104th annual meeting with progress on several ISSF priorities, including management of Pacific bluefin tuna, South Pacific albacore, and electronic monitoring (EM). But the Commission deferred action on several of the most consequential issues before it, including a management procedure (MP) for tropical tunas and stronger shark conservation measures.

Ahead of the meeting, ISSF identified priorities to advance science-based tuna management; strengthen monitoring, transparency, and accountability; and improve FAD management and ecosystem protections.

Progress on Management Procedures, But Not for Tropical Tunas

The Commission advanced management procedures (MPs) for two tuna stocks. IATTC adopted an interim MP for Pacific bluefin tuna as a result of joint work with the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC). The MP establishes management objectives, reference points, a harvest control rule, and an exceptional-circumstances framework that will apply from 2027 through 2032.

IATTC also advanced management of South Pacific albacore by updating its measure to reflect the MP adopted by WCPFC in 2025. The measure calls for IATTC scientific staff to propose compatible management objectives and reference points for consideration in 2027 and supports continued collaboration on stock assessment and compatible management measures across the Pacific.

But the Commission did not reach agreement on an MP for tropical tunas, despite extensive scientific work and multiple proposals. ISSF had urged IATTC to adopt a tropical tuna MP reflecting the recommendations of its scientific staff, with any reduction in fishing closures implemented gradually.

With no consensus on the proposed tropical tuna conservation measures, the current measure remains in place while work continues intersessionally. The Commission also failed to reach agreement on a proposal to require more detailed vessel-specific and set-by-set operational data, including historical data — another ISSF priority for strengthening future stock assessments and scientific advice.

Monitoring and Accountability: A Start, With Significant Gaps Remaining

The Commission took a useful step toward greater implementation of EM for monitoring of longline fisheries. An adopted measure maintains the existing 5% minimum human-observer requirement for longline vessels, while allowing EM, consistent with IATTC’s interim standards, to supplement human observer coverage. IATTC staff will assess submitted EM data in 2027, with the Commission scheduled to reconsider the minimum human-observer coverage level in 2029.

The measure advances the use of EM but does not deliver the monitoring increases ISSF sought. We called for increasing observer coverage on large-scale longline vessels from 5% to an interim level of 20%, which was recommended by the IATTC scientific staff, with a timeline toward 100% coverage, and establishing at least 20% observer coverage for smaller purse seine vessels as a step toward full coverage. The Commission also did not advance ISSF’s priority to implement harmonized electronic logbooks for large-scale longline vessels.

IATTC continued to make progress in strengthening its compliance assessment processes. ISSF called for clearer categorization of non-compliance, specific follow-up actions, and performance metrics for IATTC measures. These issues were discussed in the compliance committee, and while the Commission did not adopt new measures, there is now a strong basis for advancing them further next year.

FAD and Ecosystem Protections Require Further Action

There was little progress on the specific FAD-management improvements ISSF sought. We called for stronger monitoring of FAD deactivation and reactivation, improved marking and ownership requirements, a FAD register harmonized with WCPFC, and greater use of historical echosounder buoy data for scientific purposes. None of these FAD provisions were advanced this year, leaving significant work to strengthen FAD traceability, data collection, and management.

Progress on bycatch mitigation was also mixed. The Commission did not reach consensus on proposals that would have strengthened shark conservation by eliminating exceptions to the requirement that retained sharks be landed with fins naturally attached and incorporating best handling and release practices developed and updated by the IATTC scientific staff.

IATTC did adopt amendments to its seabird measure, including an additional technical specification for tori lines, although further improvements are needed to align with the Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) standards. The Commission did not adopt the sea turtle mitigation improvements sought by ISSF, but it did adopt a framework for progressively incorporating ecosystem considerations into its conservation and management work.

Turning Continued Work Into Action in 2027

The Pacific bluefin tuna MP, advances on South Pacific albacore, and steps on EM and ecosystem management are positive outcomes.

But too many of the Commission’s most important decisions were deferred. In 2027, IATTC members need to take urgent action on tropical tuna management, monitoring, data collection, FAD management, compliance reform, and bycatch mitigation. The scientific and technical groundwork has been laid. The priority now is translating that work into effective and science-based conservation and management measures.

Verifying Sustainability Commitments in the Global Seafood Supply Chain

Written by svanouse on August 25, 2026. Posted in Blogs, News.

Our Q&A blogs with conservation experts explore shared priorities for sustainable tuna fisheries and marine ecosystem health, including how ISSF’s work contributes to these efforts. The views expressed by the experts we interview are their own.

As part of its commitment to foster transparency and accountability in the fishing industry, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to assess ISSF participating seafood companies’ compliance with ISSF conservation measures according to a rigorous audit protocol. This is an update of a 2022 conversation between ISSF President Susan Jackson and MRAG Americas Vice President Dr. Graeme Parkes about the ISSF audit and compliance process.

Susan Jackson, President, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

Photo of Dr. Graeme Parkes, Vice President, Project Management, MRAG Americas

Dr. Graeme Parkes, Vice President of Project Management, MRAG Americas

Susan Jackson: How long has MRAG Americas audited ISSF participating companies’ operations, and what is the value of this continuous engagement?

Graeme Parkes: For 14 years now! We have been providing auditing services to ISSF since 2012, starting with the vessels on the PVR and adding the participating companies’ activities in 2014. This continuous engagement has provided a high level of consistency and stability, without which reliable tracking of program progress over time and participants’ level of compliance would be highly challenging. The longevity of the program and resulting uniformity in methodology and implementation have provided enhanced credibility to the auditing process and outcomes.

Susan Jackson: Why is an independent audit an important part of the ISSF audit and compliance process? What is the value of ISSF commissioning a third-party audit rather than ISSF performing this function internally?

Graeme Parkes: Independent auditing adds value to the ISSF compliance process in several important ways. First and foremost, it adds credibility in a way that an internal audit cannot. Participants and other stakeholders need to have confidence that conformance with ISSF conservation measures is being assessed accurately and consistently. Of course, this can be done internally, but an external, independent process undertaken by a qualified provider with an established track record in rigorous conformity assessment provides a highly visible level of integrity and reliability.

Additionally, MRAG’s many years of experience in fisheries and supply chain auditing enables ISSF to understand the auditing implications of new conservation measures at an early stage, helping them to grow the program as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Susan Jackson: From the auditor’s perspective, what are the challenges of auditing seafood companies on multiple measures? Can you explain how MRAG audits a particular commitment?

Graeme Parkes: The auditing challenges arise in part from the number and range of ISSF conservation measures, but also the variety of ISSF participating companies’ sourcing practices. The sourcing of tunas by the companies covers a broad range of species, gear types, geographic regions, and hence RFMO jurisdictions.

Among other things, the audit team needs to be familiar with the differing requirements for fishing licenses, transshipment declarations, captain statements and catch certificates to assess accurately the validity of the documents presented as evidence of conformance. We spend significant time and effort on maintaining audit program consistency. This requires multiple levels of scrutiny by the whole audit team, including reviews of prior audit reports, to ensure uniformity in grading of compliance within and between years. The resulting stability in audit outcomes has helped companies to understand the evidence requirements for audits, that information requests for auditing are fair, and that the program is equitable for all participants.

Traceability audits are a good example to consider. The traceability exercises demonstrate a participating company’s ability to trace its products from can code or sales invoice back to a vessel and trip, enabling our audit to assess its conformance along the supply chain. The auditor reviews recent mock recalls, if available, and selects a sample of can codes or sales invoices by label and destination from which the company will conduct traceability exercises. The traceability exercises also enable the auditor to cross-reference evidence provided in connection with other conservation measures.

Susan Jackson: Over the years, participating companies have maintained consistently high levels of conformance with ISSF Conservation Measures. The July 2026 compliance report showed that the 24 ISSF participating companies achieved a 98.8% conformance rate across 32 ISSF conservation measures. Does this positive performance mean the audits have become easier to conduct?

Graeme Parkes: ISSF has more than 30 Conservation Measures now. They have grown in number and complexity, so over time the audits have actually become more difficult. But this complexity didn’t increase overnight, and as the audit process has evolved, the established participating companies have learned how it all works and developed systems and procedures for meeting the evidential demands each year. So, in this sense, the audits have become more efficient, but assessing the conformance with newer measures can be harder while both the auditors and the companies get used to how this can be done most effectively.

Not surprisingly, companies that have participated with ISSF since the early years tend to find current audits easier overall than do the newly joined companies being exposed to the material for the first time. Nevertheless, when there are structural or procedural changes within companies, we sometimes see new obstacles that need to be overcome no matter how long they have been part of ISSF.

Annual audits are a two-step process. Participating companies receive a Preliminary Compliance Report (PCR), which includes comments from the auditor where applicable, and a final Compliance Report (CR) after a 30-day remediation period, when companies have an opportunity to address deficiencies. Most PCs, even those that are very familiar with the process, need to provide some additional evidence of conformance following receipt of their PCR. The audit will never be a rubber stamp.

Susan Jackson: We hear a lot about “transparency” in the fishing industry today. What does this mean in practice for an auditing process like the ISSF one?

Graeme Parkes: Transparency is essential to explain how the audits are undertaken and what they show about individual company conformance with the conservation measures. This is why the conservation measures, audit protocols, and participating company annual audit reports are publicly available.

However, this transparency must be applied with forethought and foresight; it cannot extend to all levels of the program. With much of the detailed information provided for audits being confidential and commercially sensitive, participating companies must have confidence and trust in the independent auditor. They must be assured that while the results of their audit will be made public, irrespective of the audit findings, their proprietary information used in the assessment of conformance remains protected and confidentiality is not compromised.

Susan Jackson: How do insights and findings from audits inform ISSF conservation measures — expanding existing measures, for example, or suggesting a need for additional measures?

Graeme Parkes: Our experience from auditing the ISSF program, and other independent auditing activities, enables us to counsel ISSF regarding the auditability of proposed new conservation measures and amendments to existing ones. However, as independent auditors, we do not advise ISSF on the need for these measures – this is up to the organization itself.

Susan Jackson: Is auditing like this common with sustainable fishing commitments, or is there something unique or important about the ISSF-MRAG model?

Graeme Parkes: The types of conservation measures implemented by ISSF are not necessarily unique; they may overlap with some of the key requirements of other fisheries sustainability initiatives. But the combination of ISSF’s adopted conservation measures with MRAG Americas’ independent conformance assessment using a comprehensive series of audit protocols is ground-breaking.

ISSF is a cross-sector organization that draws on state-of-the-art environmental and scientific expertise to develop conservation measures with which participating companies commit to conform. The ISSF conservation measures are consequently meaningful, transparent, and enduring, and there is a high level of cooperation with the independent auditing procedures established by MRAG Americas.

If companies receive non-conformances during their audits, they know there are real consequences, and they typically are quick to remedy their practices to ensure these non-conformances are mitigated and not repeated. The results have been, and continue to be, transformational in the sustainability performance of the canned tuna supply chain and have the potential to make similarly far-reaching advancements in other seafood sectors.

Susan Jackson: What should stakeholders take away from more than a decade of independent auditing of ISSF participating companies?

Graeme Parkes: A decade of consistent, independent auditing has shown that ISSF’s conservation measures for the seafood industry work and remain as important and relevant today as they were at the start.

Independent auditing provides transparency and demonstrates the credibility of the ISSF model. It enables progressive and responsible participating companies to show policymakers, customers, and other stakeholders their continuing commitment to sustainable fishing and responsible sourcing, with the backing of high-quality verification recognized across the industry and NGO community.

Through ISSF, the participating companies along with vessels listed on the PVR and/or VOSI also gain a stronger footing to engage in tuna conservation and management discussions with stakeholders, their flag states, and the Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). The transparency and knowledge that come with the audit program (audit policy documents and public audits results) — together with feedback mechanisms via the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC) and Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the vessel community, and the Implementation Team — allow stakeholders to remain engaged, receive answers to their questions, and offer suggestions on how the initiative can be improved and strengthened over time.

Moving Harvest Strategies from Concept to Implementation: A Q&A with Leaders at WCPFC and ISSF

Written by svanouse on August 19, 2026. Posted in Blogs, News.

This blog explores what harvest strategies mean for global ocean governance and features Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and Susan Jackson, President, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF).

Rhea Moss-Christian, Executive Director, Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)

Susan Jackson, President, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF)

What is a harvest strategy, and why does it represent a different approach to fisheries management?

Rhea Moss-Christian: When you look at global tuna production, the numbers are staggering. Over 5.5 million tonnes caught every year. The Western and Central Pacific supplies 56% of that, worth roughly 5.6 billion dollars. Yet for decades, we’ve managed these fisheries in the most reactive way imaginable. Year after year in a negotiating room, where politics and economics override science.

Instead of negotiating the numbers every year, we negotiate the rules upfront. We agree in advance on a clear framework: upper and lower bounds for the fishery, triggered actions if the stock hits those bounds, and science-based reference points that guide those decisions. Once this framework is in place, the rule does the work. That is harvest strategy.

What makes this different is predictability, where management actions are agreed in advance based on when the fish stock reaches a certain level. Fishers know what to expect year to year. Governments can plan with certainty. Politics steps out of the decision at the moment it matters most. That is how we keep global tuna fisheries strong and resilient for generations to come.

From ISSF’s perspective as an independent scientific and industry body, what has changed since WCPFC adopted this approach?

Susan Jackson: To me, one of the biggest shifts has been seeing harvest strategies move from concept to implementation. WCPFC has taken important steps in that direction, and it’s encouraging to see more tuna RFMOs advancing these approaches as part of long-term fisheries management.

We’ve also seen that tuna stocks can recover when strong management measures are put in place and necessary conservation actions are taken. Both Atlantic and Pacific bluefin are good examples of that. Harvest strategies build on those successes by helping managers respond earlier and more predictably as conditions change, rather than waiting until difficult management decisions become unavoidable. They provide a transparent, agreed framework for making decisions over time, helping support healthy tuna stocks and more stable, effective fisheries management.

Skipjack, South Pacific albacore, North Pacific albacore: WCPFC now has harvest strategies or management procedures across three of its key tuna stocks. What does that track record tell us about what is possible when governance is built on pre-agreed rules?

Rhea Moss-Christian: What this track record shows me is that harvest strategies work. They are not theoretical. They are tested and operational across three of our major stocks.

The skipjack fishery in the Western and Central Pacific is the largest in the world. Robust management here is critical for the livelihoods of many small island developing states, fishers, and consumers around the world. Reaching agreement on upper and lower bounds to maintain the fishery at a level that supports socio-economic outcomes without compromising biological sustainability is a significant achievement.

Likewise, the harvest strategies for South Pacific albacore and North Pacific albacore represent strong cooperation by all stakeholders. These stocks are managed jointly across regions, demonstrating what broad cooperation can achieve when all players share a common objective. This is the track record that matters.

What does the international ocean governance community need to understand about this experience as it builds new institutions?

Susan Jackson: One lesson we’ve learned is that effective international fisheries management depends on more than adopting management measures. It requires strong scientific advice, experienced scientists, high-quality data, and organizations with the expertise to translate that science into practical management decisions. Just as importantly, it requires mechanisms to evaluate whether those decisions are being implemented and whether they’re achieving the intended outcomes.

Tuna RFMOs have spent decades developing the scientific expertise, management procedures, and compliance systems needed to manage highly migratory species across international waters. Those systems continue to evolve as new information becomes available, and they offer valuable lessons for the broader ocean governance community. New international frameworks should build on that expertise — sharing practical experience and strengthening cooperation across organizations to advance sustainable, science-informed fisheries governance.

Rhea Moss-Christian: The Western and Central Pacific Commission has spent decades building exactly this infrastructure. We have the scientific systems, the management procedures, the compliance architecture, and the regional cooperation frameworks already in place. As new international ocean governance institutions emerge, there’s real value in building on what’s proven to work. That’s not procedural handoff — that’s access to twenty years of practical learning about what functions on the high seas.

But here’s what it actually takes. Shared commitment from member states. Transparent consultation with everyone who depends on these fisheries — fishing communities, island governments, conservation partners. That consistency, that genuine engagement, is what creates lasting impact. Robust resource management doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens through strong regional cooperation toward shared objectives. That’s what twenty years of proven experience looks like. That’s what’s ready now.

Harvest strategies remain at very different stages of advancement across RFMOs. What do you think would accelerate this movement globally?

Susan Jackson: The good news is that we already know what works. We have strong science, tested management procedures, and practical experience from multiple tuna RFMOs. The challenge now is turning that experience into broader implementation.

One of the best ways to accelerate progress is for RFMOs to continue learning from one another. Every organization has taken a slightly different path and has valuable experience to share, whether it’s developing management procedures, engaging stakeholders, or implementing them in practice. Collaborative initiatives, like the FAO-led Common Oceans Tuna Project, help create opportunities to exchange knowledge and practical experience across tuna RFMOs. ISSF has long supported that exchange of knowledge because it helps everyone move forward.

Ultimately, harvest strategies are not an end in themselves. They’re a tool for helping ensure fisheries remain productive, resilient and able to support future generations. The more we can build on the progress already being made, the faster we’ll get there.

Accelerating Progress Toward Stronger Fisheries Management for Eastern Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries

Written by svanouse on August 4, 2026. Posted in Blogs, News.

When the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) meets in late August, delegates will have an opportunity to turn recent advances in fisheries science and management into stronger conservation and management measures for Eastern Pacific tuna fisheries.

Over the past several years, IATTC has advanced management strategy evaluation (MSE) work for tropical tunas, adopted interim electronic monitoring (EM) standards, begun transitioning to fully biodegradable fish aggregating devices (FADs), and strengthened its compliance assessment process. The Commission’s latest scientific advice also indicates that bigeye, yellowfin, and skipjack tuna stocks in the eastern Pacific Ocean remain in healthy condition.

These advances provide a strong foundation, but additional action is needed to effectively manage tuna fisheries and their ecosystems. ISSF’s 2026 position statement highlights three priorities that can help IATTC continue making progress.

Advance Science-Based Tuna Management

IATTC has reached an important milestone in its work to modernize tuna management. This year, the Commission’s scientific staff completed a management strategy evaluation for bigeye tuna and identified harvest control rules capable of meeting agreed management objectives while maintaining healthy tropical tuna stocks. The Commission also continues to advance harvest strategy development for other target species.

ISSF is encouraging IATTC to build on that progress by adopting a management procedure that reflects the recommendations of the scientific staff and implements any reduction in fishing closures gradually. Maintaining the Individual Vessel Limit (IVT) measure and supporting the Integrated Port Sampling Program (IPSP) will also help provide the scientific information needed to manage tropical tuna fisheries effectively. In addition, improving longline operational data reporting will strengthen future stock assessments and scientific advice.

Management procedures are designed to provide predictable, science-based decision-making that responds to changing stock conditions while reducing uncertainty. Continued investment in these tools, including for Pacific bluefin tuna and South Pacific albacore, will help ensure that fisheries management keeps pace with both scientific knowledge and changing ocean conditions.

Strengthen Monitoring, Transparency, and Accountability

Effective fisheries management depends on reliable information and transparent implementation.

Although IATTC has adopted interim EM standards for both purse seine and longline fisheries, significant monitoring gaps remain. Observer coverage requirements for longline fisheries remain well below the levels needed to support robust scientific analyses, and there is currently no observer coverage requirement for smaller purse seine vessels. Electronic logbooks also offer an opportunity to improve the timeliness, consistency and quality of fisheries data.

ISSF is urging the Commission to begin increasing observer coverage — using human observers, electronic monitoring, or both — while implementing harmonized electronic logbooks for longline vessels. These measures would strengthen scientific assessments, improve compliance monitoring, and increase confidence in fisheries data.

The Commission also has an opportunity to continue strengthening its compliance assessment process by adopting clearer approaches for evaluating non-compliance and identifying follow-up actions. Transparent compliance processes help ensure that agreed conservation and management measures are implemented consistently across the Convention Area.

Strengthen FAD Management While Implementing Current Science for Ecosystem Protection

Fish aggregating devices (FAD) remain an important component of tropical tuna fisheries, and effective FAD management requires more than any single measure.

IATTC has already taken important steps by beginning the transition to fully biodegradable FADs. Building on that progress will require complementary measures that improve monitoring, accountability, and fisheries science throughout the operational life of FADs. ISSF is encouraging the Commission to strengthen reporting of FAD deactivation events, improve FAD marking and ownership requirements, establish a harmonized FAD register, and expand the use of echosounder buoy data to strengthen scientific understanding and fisheries management. Together, these measures improve FAD traceability, support better data collection, and help reduce the impacts of lost or abandoned FADs on the marine ecosystem.

Additional work is also needed to ensure that conservation measures for sharks, seabirds, and sea turtles reflect current scientific knowledge. ISSF is again urging IATTC to strengthen shark conservation by requiring sharks to be landed with fins naturally attached and incorporating updated safe handling and release practices. The Commission must also modernize its seabird and sea turtle measures to reflect the latest scientific recommendations and best practices for bycatch mitigation. These combined actions would strengthen protections for sensitive species while supporting healthier tuna fisheries over the long term.

IATTC has made important progress toward more sustainable tuna fisheries management. Continuing that progress will require translating scientific advice into effective management measures, strengthening monitoring and accountability, and ensuring conservation measures keep pace with the current scientific knowledge and identified best practices. By taking these steps, the Commission can continue advancing the long-term stewardship of Eastern Pacific tuna fisheries and the ecosystems that support them.

Updated ISSF Report Highlights Progress in Global Tuna Stock Management Against MSC Sustainability Criteria

Written by svanouse on July 29, 2026. Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published the latest edition of An Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council Criteria. Co-authored by Matthew Cieri and Paul A. H. Medley, the assessment finds that 16 of the world’s 23 tropical and temperate tuna stocks now achieve a passing score for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Principle 1, compared with 12 in the previous edition, reflecting continued improvements in stock status and fisheries management. The 2026 update does not include updates to MSC Principle 3 (Effective Management), which was comprehensively reassessed in the previous edition.

Several stocks achieved higher Principle 1 scores following updated stock assessments and fisheries management improvements, including adoption and implementation of harvest control rules. A passing score requires an overall score of at least 80, with no individual performance indicator scoring below 60.

“The updated assessment reflects encouraging progress across tuna fisheries while also identifying where additional work remains,” said Susan Jackson, ISSF President. “Using a consistent framework to evaluate global tuna stocks helps fisheries managers, market partners, and other stakeholders better understand both the advances being made and the management priorities that will support continued improvement.”

Since 2013, ISSF’s annual Evaluation report has provided a consistent, science-based framework for assessing global tuna fisheries against MSC sustainability criteria. Using the MSC Fisheries Standard as a common benchmark, the report offers an objective comparison of how the world’s major tuna stocks perform against internationally recognized sustainability standards, while highlighting areas where further management improvements are needed.

Key Findings

The 16 tuna stocks receiving passing MSC Principle 1 scores are:

Atlantic Ocean: Bigeye, Western skipjack, Northern albacore, Southern albacore, Eastern bluefin
Pacific Ocean: Western yellowfin, Western bigeye, Western skipjack, Eastern yellowfin, Eastern skipjack, Southern albacore
Indian Ocean: Yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack, albacore
Southern Hemisphere: Southern bluefin

Several of these stocks received higher MSC Principle 1 scores following updated stock assessments and/or fisheries management actions, including:

Atlantic Ocean: Bigeye, Western skipjack
Pacific Ocean: Eastern yellowfin, Southern albacore
Indian Ocean: Bigeye, yellowfin, albacore

While not all of these stocks moved from failing to passing, each showed improvement in one or more underlying MSC Principle 1 performance indicators.

The report also finds that nine of the 23 assessed tuna stocks now have fully implemented well-defined harvest control rules, an increase from seven in the previous edition. Progress toward harvest control rule implementation has been made across all five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) in recent years.

“The increase from 12 to 16 tuna stocks meeting MSC Principle 1 reflects meaningful progress in both stock status and science-based fisheries management,” said Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF Vice President of Science and Chair of the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee. “Continued implementation of well-defined harvest control rules will be essential to sustaining that momentum and advancing additional stocks.”

ISSF Publishes First Global Analysis of Tuna Longline Fleets Across Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations

Written by svanouse on July 21, 2026. Posted in News, Press Releases.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published Characteristics of Longline Fleets Registered in Tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations as of June 2026, a new technical report by Dr. Josu Santiago that harmonizes vessel registry information from the world’s five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs): the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), and Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT).

Longline fisheries play a significant role in supplying global tuna markets, yet information about the size and composition of the worldwide fleet has historically been unavailable from a single source, instead being dispersed across multiple RFMO vessel registries. By bringing these records together into a standardized dataset, the report provides fisheries managers, scientists, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive resource for evaluating longline fleet composition, vessel characteristics, and fishing capacity while identifying opportunities to improve the completeness and consistency of vessel information.

“Understanding the capacity and composition of the global tuna longline fleet is essential to effective fisheries management,” said Dr. Victor Restrepo, Vice President of Science and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee at ISSF. “This report provides a clearer picture of the global fleet while identifying practical opportunities to improve vessel information that supports fisheries science and management.”

Key report findings include:

A harmonized dataset comprising 7,288 unique longline vessels, of which 2,283 are equal or greater than 24 m in length (large scale)
Global and RFMO-specific analyses of vessel numbers, vessel size, gross tonnage, fish hold volume, and estimated fish carrying capacity
Comparisons of the largest longline fleets by flag state and across individual tuna RFMOs
Analysis of vessels authorized across multiple RFMO convention areas
Recommendations to strengthen vessel registry completeness, consistency, traceability, and transparency

Report Provides First Global View of Longline Fleet Composition and Capacity

The assessment demonstrates that vessel counts alone provide an incomplete picture of fleet capacity because many smaller vessels are absent from RFMO registries, while a relatively small number of large vessels account for most fishing capacity. Although vessels measuring 24 meters or longer represent approximately 31% of registered longline vessels, they account for approximately 86% of estimated fish hold capacity. As a result, Fish Hold Volume (FHV) — which represents the effective storage capacity available for catches — emerges as a more meaningful indicator of operational fleet capacity than vessel numbers alone.

Based on these analyses, the report also identifies opportunities to improve RFMO vessel registries through more complete reporting of vessel characteristics, broader inclusion of smaller vessels where appropriate, wider use of International Maritime Organization (IMO) numbers, and continued improvements in registry consistency. Together, these enhancements would strengthen fisheries monitoring, fleet assessments, and vessel traceability.

Reliable information on fleet composition and fishing capacity supports fisheries science, monitoring, and management. This report expands ISSF’s library of technical resources by providing the first harmonized analysis of tuna longline fleets across all five tuna RFMOs, supporting more informed, science-based fisheries management.

Read the full report on ISSF’s website.

Shark Conservation: A Conversation with Sonja Fordham of Shark Advocates International

Written by svanouse on July 14, 2026. Posted in Blogs, News.

In this blog on Shark Awareness Day (July 14), we talked with Sonja Fordham, the founder of Shark Advocates International — a non-profit (501c3) project of The Ocean Foundation — and a member of ISSF’s Environmental Stakeholder Committee.

ISSF: Why are sharks so important to healthy ocean ecosystems?

Sonja Fordham: Most sharks, particularly the species that swim near and are caught alongside tunas, intentionally or unintentionally, serve as top predators in oceans. Although research into their role in complex marine ecosystems is ongoing, these sharks are generally considered vital for preying on weak and wounded fish and thereby keeping those populations healthy and in balance.

ISSF: What are the biggest threats facing sharks today?

Sonja Fordham: Overfishing has been highlighted as a threat to all of the nearly 400 species of sharks and rays listed as threatened with extinction on the IUCN Red List and the sole threat to
two-thirds of these species. This overexploitation is caused by both targeted and
incidental catches.

Sharks and rays are part of the same taxonomic class (Chondrichthyes, or fish with cartilage skeletons) and face similar pressures. While coastal rays — the sawfishes, guitarfishes, and wedgefishes — are the most endangered species in this group, pelagic sharks (and oceanic rays like mantas) are also in a precarious state.

For example, a 2021 analysis in Nature found a 71% decline in global pelagic shark and ray abundance since 1970, a period when catches tripled. Incidental or bycatch mortality in tuna and other pelagic fisheries is the main threat to Critically Endangered and globally protected oceanic whitetip sharks. Endangered shortfin mako sharks face additional risk from targeted fishing due to the relatively high market value of their meat and fins — and their lack of protection in most oceans.

ISSF: How do tuna fisheries management and shark bycatch mitigation efforts fit into that picture?

Sonja Fordham: Pelagic sharks have much lower reproductive capacity than tunas because of slow growth, late maturity, and few young. Sharks therefore warrant an even more precautionary approach in fisheries management.

While celebrations like Shark Week suggest that sharks are popular with the public, this appreciation has blossomed rather recently and is not necessarily being reflected in RFMO decision-making on shark protections. Sharks in fact have long been low-priority species within tuna management arenas, due to their relatively low commercial value and negative perceptions. As a result, there’s a paucity of long-term shark catch data that hampers scientific shark population assessments — and insufficient demand for conservation action as a result.

ISSF: Which advances in shark and ray conservation and management have been most encouraging over the past decade?

Sonja Fordham: While I have been involved in many successful efforts to ban the retention of particularly vulnerable or imperiled shark and ray species, I am particularly proud of the hard-fought progress in the Atlantic toward setting international fishing limits on commercially valuable shark species.

Most notably, the International Commission for Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) — one of the world’s four major tropical-tuna Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) — has adopted science-based fishing limits on North and South Atlantic blue sharks for fleets in its region. ICCAT has also allocated overall blue shark quotas among fishing nations, which is vital for accountability on avoiding quota overages.

I’m also encouraged by ICCAT’s increasing, country-specific scrutiny of vessel compliance with shark and ray conservation measures. In both of these areas, ICCAT serves as a good model for the other tropical-tuna RFMOs, which have not set limits on fishing commercially exploited blue (or mako) sharks — and lack rigor and transparency in their compliance monitoring of bycatch measures overall.

ISSF: Which approaches show the greatest promise for reducing shark and ray bycatch and improving survival?

Sonja Fordham: For me, the most exciting bycatch reduction advance in recent years has been the development of a sorting grid fishers can use to safely remove incidentally caught manta and devil rays (mobulids) from purse seines and release them back into the ocean.

For leading this initiative, Dr. Melissa Cronin won the Grand Prize in ISSF’s 2020 Seafood Sustainability Contest. Through further testing, she has now demonstrated how the grid can be used to quickly release mobulids while keeping them flat and untwisted, which lessens their stress and increases their chances of survival. The grid’s simplicity and low cost improve its broad adoption potential in tuna fisheries.

On sharks, ISSF has long led research and policy work to mitigate bycatch, and support the safe release, of oceanic whitetip and silky sharks in purse-seine fisheries. ISSF also has been successful in efforts to end the use of traditional fish aggregating device (FAD) designs that entangle sharks and other species.

There also is increasing interest in shifting pelagic longline fishers away from using wire leaders and J-shaped hooks, which contribute to shark and other species bycatch, and switching to monofilament leaders and large circle hooks. Large circle hooks cause less internal damage to sharks than J-hooks but have been associated with increased shark catch in some studies. Monofilament leaders can reduce shark bycatch because the sharks are more able to bite their way free. Two RFMOs, the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), have taken steps to restrict the use of wire leaders; however, despite broad support for that restriction, governments with fleets that want to retain shark catches have resisted requiring fishers to use monofilament leaders.

ISSF: Can you describe some of Shark Advocates International’s current collaborative projects with other NGOs?

Sonja Fordham: I’m really grateful that SAI is able to collaborate with other NGOs through the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee and the NGO Tuna Forum. These initiatives are made up of groups with varied expertise and priorities, yet we have very similar conservation goals when it comes to high-seas tuna fisheries. We find that a large array of organizations delivering the same message can greatly enhance individual groups’ influence, and of course we learn a lot from each other.

My international fisheries work is focused on the Atlantic and carried out in close coordination with Shark Trust and Ecology Action Centre as part of a coalition called the Shark League. Our website (sharkleague.org) has a wealth of information on our specific shark conservation priorities for ICCAT.

Q. In closing, what are the top actions tuna RFMOs could take today to better protect shark populations?

Sonja Fordham: First, RFMOs could act immediately to strengthen their bans on the wasteful practice of shark finning (slicing off a shark’s fins and discarding the carcass at sea) by requiring that all sharks be landed with their fins still attached without exceptions or alternatives. This is by far the most reliable way to enforce finning bans. It also would help to collect more species-specific catch data that is vital for assessing populations and monitoring compliance with other protections. Over nearly two decades, most of the world’s fishing nations at all the tuna RFMOs have supported such a change, but a small number continue to block adoption (without exceptions).

Another urgently needed improvement is increased monitoring of RFMO-managed pelagic longline fleets globally. Increased observer coverage (at least 20% but ideally reaching 100%) is essential for reliably recording bycatch of non-target species (including sharks), supporting robust population assessments for commercial species (including sharks), monitoring implementation of bycatch measures or catch limits, and evaluating a variety of bycatch mitigation measures.

And finally, until sustainable catch levels can be determined with reasonable certainty, RFMOs should also be setting precautionary limits for all pelagic shark and rays, including retention bans for particularly vulnerable species.