The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published a position statement ahead of the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) annual meeting, which takes place August 1-5, 2022. The statement leads with the request for IATTC to ensure all Commission members are fully implementing the tuna conservation measure for bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks.
“The IATTC demonstrated their commitment to maintaining healthy tuna catches — with bigeye of greatest concern — through the new tuna conservation measures it adopted in 2021,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “We are gratified that the current stock indicators show that bigeye and yellowfin fishing morality has not increased beyond sustainable levels set by the measure and that the interim assessment of skipjack is positive. Now it is essential that all Parties fully implement these measures and cooperate to enhance port sampling that will help maintain skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin stocks at healthy levels into the future.”
“We urge the IATTC to also address FAD management gaps. For example, IATTC still allows netting in FAD construction, has no agreed definition of biodegradable FADs, and does not have an effective FAD marking scheme or FAD recovery mechanisms,” Jackson continued. “This year especially, the IATTC must, at a minimum, prohibit the use of netting in FADs and act to transition fleets to the increased use of biodegradable FAD materials. Such changes will reduce the impact of FAD fisheries on the marine ecosystem in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.”
The ISSF position statement addresses these top priorities and others:
Fully implement C-21-04 so that the status quo fishing mortality for bigeye and yellowfin is not exceeded; and adequately resource and implement the bigeye Individual Vessel Limits Pilot Study during 2022 that will enhance port-sampling to monitor these limits.
Prohibit the use of any netting in the construction of FADs and encourage fishers/shipowners to deploy a percentage of FADs mostly made of biodegradable materials from 2023 onwards.
Accelerate the management strategy evaluation process for all target tunas.
Adopt best practice reforms to C-12-07 to improve the regulation of at-sea transshipment.
Establish a work plan to strengthen the Committee for the Review of Implementation of Measures adopted by the Commission’s procedures and outcomes.
How do we protect vulnerable species from commercial fisheries? As it turns out, fishers themselves may have some of the best answers.
Manta and devil rays (together referred to as Mobulids) are an incredibly captivating group of large fish species and iconic ocean flagship species. However, these species are experiencing global declines due to accidental capture or “bycatch” in industrial tuna fisheries, including purse seine fisheries.
It’s been estimated that more than 13,000 Mobulids are captured each year by purse seine vessels, and this capture — combined with the bycatch of other tuna fisheries and other threats like wildlife trade for their gill plates, habitat degradation, and entanglement in other types of fishing gear — is driving population declines for these threatened species globally. In the Eastern Pacific Ocean, Mobulid bycatch by tuna purse seiners is decreasing despite increases in fishing effort in the region — suggesting that these populations may be in decline.
Fisher Observations & Insights
But there may be good news for manta and devil rays.
One recent study showed that improving handling and release methods for Mobulids would be effective for improving their status. In other words, improved practices during fishing operations in the tuna purse-seine fishery could provide serious conservation gains for these vulnerable species. But exactly what methods could reduce their capture and mortality — and how feasible these are onboard tuna vessels — wasn’t known.
Image: Mobulid bycatch in the Eastern Pacific Ocean tuna purse seine fishery. Cronin et al 2022, ICES Journal of Marine Science
To answer these questions, our team set out to learn straight from those with the most experience: fishers (i.e. captains, deckhands, and navigators) and fishery observers, who experience Mobulid bycatch firsthand.
Over the course of several months, we conducted surveys and focus groups with fishers and other stakeholders who had experience working onboard tuna vessels. We were excited to find that fishers have a huge cache of knowledge about Mobulids and how to reduce their capture and mortality.
One major finding was that Mobulids are more likely to be caught in free-school sets than in Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) sets. They also informed us that Mobulids are sighted by fishers after capture in the net but not yet onboard, suggesting that this is an important time where focused mitigation efforts can improve their chances of survival.
Other ideas brought forth by fishers include the use of homemade “manta grids” (photo below), modifying cargo nets and other onboard equipment, and the potential utility of helicopter pilots and spotters to help vessels avoid Mobulids even before fishing begins.
Bycatch Mitigation Challenges
But though fishers had novel ideas to improve bycatch-mitigation practices for Mobulids, they also identified important challenges that have prevented them from using these practices in the fishery.
One of these challenges was the difficulty of releasing large animals that are too heavy for crew to lift manually. Another was simply the lack of release devices necessary to remove Mobulids, which can be physically difficult to hold.
Fortunately, these obstacles could be solved by developing technology that utilizes existing mechanics onboard the vessel to hoist large animals and ensuring that these and other needed equipment are present on all purse seiners that encounter Mobulids.
Image: Commonly reported handling methods for Mobulids in the tuna purse seine fishery include (a) manual release, (b) stretcher, (c) cargo net, and (d) a modified brailer. Photos courtesy of TUNACONS, published in Cronin et al 2022, ICES Journal of Marine Science.
We also noticed that captains and officers are more likely to be surveying the sea from the vessel deck or the crow’s nest — rather than focused on tasks on the deck — and so more likely to see a Mobulid prior to capture. The fact that these more senior “managerial” crew may identify Mobulids earlier is promising, as, generally, only managerial crew can request to stop fishing operations so that Mobulids can be quickly released.
Collaborative Research Continues
The results of this study were recently published in the journal ICES Journal of Marine Science for a special issue about bycatch, and are the latest update in an ongoing collaborative project funded by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, involving researchers from University of California, Santa Cruz; TUNACONS; the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission; the Monterey Bay Aquarium; and Manta Trust.
Beyond providing practical knowledge about how fisheries can protect Mobulids, this study offers a model of a collaborative approach that harnesses fisher and stakeholder perspectives on bycatch mitigation and the conservation of vulnerable species. Next, our team is working to expand the findings of this work through real-world trials of some of fishers’ ideas. Stay tuned for more as we work together to protect iconic manta and devil rays.
Doctoral student Melissa Cronin of the University of California, Santa Cruz, was the Grand Prize winner in ISSF’s International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Seafood Sustainability Contest. She won for her contest entry, “Incentivizing Collaborative Release to Reduce Elasmobranch Bycatch Mortality,” which proposed handling-and-release methods that purse-seine vessel skippers and crew can use to reduce the mortality of manta rays and devil rays incidentally caught during tuna fishing. Ms. Cronin is a Ph.D. candidate in the Conservation Action Lab at UC Santa Cruz studying Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) announced today that Ben Gilmer, Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and Strategic Initiatives at The Nature Conservancy, will join its Environmental Stakeholder Committee (ESC).
“Mr. Gilmer brings deep knowledge and experience in seafood systems and supply chain transparency to our strong cohort of conservation experts on the ESC,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “His record at The Nature Conservancy on transparency initiatives across the global fishing industry is strong, and we look forward to having his expert perspective on the Committee.”
Ben Gilmer serves as Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and Strategic Initiatives at The Nature Conservancy, where he is focused on seafood transparency initiatives in Asia-Pacific, Africa, and Latin America. In this role, Mr. Gilmer supports governments and companies with policy and program development, partnerships, technology innovation, and fishery improvement project implementation.
He most recently served as CEO of Stuart Land & Cattle Company, a diversified agriculture company in Southwest Virginia, and founded Refresh Appalachia, a social enterprise that provided on-the-job training in sustainable agriculture to disadvantaged workers in the coalfields of Central Appalachia. Mr. Gilmer previously worked as a sustainability consultant to the Inter-American Development Bank and other clients and was a member of TNC’s Global Oceans team.
Mr. Gilmer has more than 15 years’ experience working in environmental conservation and food systems. His specialties include fisheries, agriculture, climate, technology, and community development. He has a Master’s degree from West Virginia University and a Bachelor’s degree from Radford University.
About the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee
The ESC comprises expert representatives from various conservation organizations who volunteer to share their expertise. The ESC, much like ISSF’s Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), provides advice to the ISSF Board of Directors on issues to consider before taking action on specific sustainability efforts, including the adoption of ISSF conservation measures.
The ESC members are:
Sonja Fordham, Founder, Shark Advocates International
Ben Gilmer, Associate Director of Corporate Engagement and Strategic Initiatives, The Nature Conservancy
Bill Holden, Chair, ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee | Senior Tuna Fisheries Outreach Manager, Marine Stewardship Council (MSC)
Jennifer Dianto Kemmerly, Vice President, Global Ocean Initiatives, Monterey Bay Aquarium
Sara Lewis, Traceability Division Director, FishWise
Dr. Vishwanie Maharaj, Lead, Tunas and Other Multilateral Fisheries, World Wildlife Fund-US
Dr. Alexia Morgan, Science Lead, Tuna and Large Pelagic Species, Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP)
Dr. Tom Pickerell, Executive Director, Global Tuna Alliance
Unfortunately, the IOTC failed to answer this urgent call. The Commission did not reach agreement on amendments to its yellowfin resolution — amendments that were necessary to give full effect to the scientific advice to ensure an effective and enforceable rebuilding plan and secure the long-term sustainable management of overfished yellowfin. The IOTC disregarded its Scientific Committee’s recent guidance on action needed to prevent further declines in the stock.
By not amending its yellowfin measure, the Commission is perpetuating a situation that can only accelerate further stock decline. Some IOTC parties have made the required yellowfin catch reductions called for in the existing measure. Other parties have increased their yellowfin catches. And still other parties, in objecting to the measure, insist that catch limits do not apply to them. The existing measure, even if fully implemented, would not be sufficient.
In a further blow to tuna conservation, the IOTC also failed to fulfill its responsibility in managing skipjack tuna. Specifically, the Commission did not agree on the skipjack catch reductions necessary to implement the annual quota resultant from its harvest control rule. As a result, skipjack catches may persist in exceeding agreed-to annual catch limits, putting the currently healthy stock at further risk.
Strengthened FAD management in the Indian Ocean was another top ask for ISSF and its stakeholders ahead of the IOTC annual meeting. Advancement in this area was stymied, too. The Commission did not agree to enhanced FAD management provisions that were in line with recommended, science-based best practices — practices like accelerating the transition towards biodegradable FADs to reduce the environmental impacts of traditional FADs; requiring the submission of important FAD data essential for science and compliance; and establishing FAD marking rules. This year marks the second consecutive year that IOTC failed to make headway on better managed FADs, even though meaningful proposals were tabled. The need for these FAD improvements is clear, and IOTC’s lack of progress on them remains unacceptable.
Progress for Bigeye Management and Electronic Monitoring
While it’s difficult to look past these missteps on yellowfin and skipjack tuna and FAD management, we acknowledge that the IOTC did act on some critical issues. Here’s how the Commission advanced other topics where action was needed:
The IOTC adopted a much-needed management procedure for bigeye tuna. Management procedures (also called harvest strategies) — which include target and limit reference points, together with harvest control rules — provide pre-agreed rules for acting on stock status changes when managing fisheries resources. If effectively implemented, a management procedure for bigeye gives the IOTC an essential tool to ensure the long-term sustainable management of this key tuna resource.
The IOTC took a positive step toward using Electronic Monitoring (EM) to achieve its observer coverage rates, an area in which the Commission lags far behind other tuna RFMOs — for example, the IOTC still does not require 100% observer coverage on purse seine vessels. The IOTC agreed to allow the use of EM on fishing vessels, rather than human observers only, to meet its 5% observer coverage requirement. And the Commission set a clear deadline in requiring the development of minimum standards for the use of EM by 2024. Although a good step, the next and urgent one should be to increase observer coverage on all vessels. ISSF commits to continued work with the IOTC EM Working Group to ensure the success of these improvements, which are essential to effective fisheries management and compliance monitoring.
The IOTC tightened its regulation of at-sea transshipment in the Indian Ocean. The Commission strengthened its at-sea transshipment resolution to include enhanced inspections in port, as called for in the FAO Port States Measures Agreement, the accepted guide to best practices in minimizing IUU activities in fisheries. ISSF welcomes this progress in combating IUU fishing activity in the region through enhanced port State controls.
While important, these wins for stronger management do not overcome the inaction for yellowfin tuna stocks, skipjack tuna, and enhanced FAD management. The indecision in those areas is especially egregious considering that for over a year, consistent and urgent pleas from countless fisheries stakeholders have been issued on these topics. Political will from all players has been and continues to be severely lacking.
ISSF is committed to the long-term sustainable use of valuable Indian Ocean tuna resources. ISSF urges all IOTC parties to adhere to the current rebuilding plan and work collaboratively to urgently develop a more robust and enforceable measure that fully implements the scientific advice.
What good are regulations if they’re not followed? Why adopt policies without a strong plan to monitor adherence to them?
In an era of greater expectations regarding transparency and accountability, these are the questions stakeholders are increasingly asking of regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) — the governing bodies that oversee many global fisheries resources. And for tuna fisheries, a vital, global food source and economic engine, those expectations are especially heightened. Now, a group of policy experts is stepping in to help tuna RFMOs continue strengthening their compliance processes.
RFMOs and Compliance Processes
RFMOs are established by international instruments to promote cooperation among member States for the conservation and management of shared fisheries resources. Compliance by these member States with agreed management measures is essential for RFMOs to carry out their mandates, meet their objectives, and perform effectively.
All tuna RFMOs have an annual mechanism to monitor and assess the compliance of members with the RFMO’s conservation and management measures. All RFMO compliance processes are broadly composed of three steps: 1.) information gathering; 2.) review and assessment; and 3.) feedback and/or application of corrective remedies — by the RFMO and/or through its member States. But disparities and weaknesses exist amongst RFMOs in these areas.
Assess the degree to which its measures are being implemented
Aid nations as needed
Identify those RFMO members that are undermining the effectiveness of conservation and management measures through non-compliance, and incentivize them to improve
Promote clarity in RFMO obligations and measures
Improve trust, fairness, and transparency
Enhance RFMO performance
Bringing Experts Together: Workshops Identify Challenges and Solutions
Convened virtually in September 2020, March 2021, and November 2021, the three workshops brought together over 40 experts from RFMO Secretariats, RFMO Compliance Committees, international organizations, academia, NGOs, and civil society. The group identified challenges and potential solutions for strengthening compliance assessment processes, improving overall member compliance and RFMO performance.
Some of the challenges identified include:
Lack of clarity in measures that result in ambiguity or conflicting requirements
The large volume of data that must be reported and then reviewed
Reliance on national reporting with few tools for independent verification
Lack of trust
Minimal or inconsistent follow-up on identified areas of non-compliance
Lack of tools to incentivize compliance or address persistent and egregious non-compliance
Gaps in transparency, both in documentation and access to information
Capacity building needs
The expert participants then outlined initial solutions to be explored in future workshops, such as:
RFMO Measures
Drafting measures with audit points or other mechanisms for clarity in the obligations to be assessed and the data to be reported
Use learnings from compliance assessments to improve the clarity of new measures and in assessing the effectiveness of existing measures
Volume of information to Report/Review
Prioritizing the measures to be reviewed annually
Automating aspects of the reviews
Presenting data and information in summaries and/or aggregate tables
Data sources and quality
Incorporating new data sources
Building capacity to process/analyze data
Developing online reporting tools
Capacity building
Focused capacity building of Secretariats and members
Structuring compliance assessments toward capacity building and performance improvement, rather than being punitive
Transparency
Tracking performance over time
Establishing confidentiality agreements and standardized rules for transparency
Establishing clearer mechanisms to report on follow up actions
Responses to Non-Compliance
Developing “compliance control rules” — pre-agreed responses to non-compliance
Considering a “risk-based” approach and rank responses to types of non-compliance
Together, the world’s tuna RFMOs are responsible for managing 23 tuna stocks that are vital sources of jobs, economic development, and food security for millions across the globe. The long-term sustainability of these valuable stocks is jeopardized without an effective and transparent process for ensuring RFMO members are complying with all conservation and management requirements.
By leveraging our collective know-how through collaborative events like the Expert Workshops on Best Practices in Compliance in RFMOs, ISSF and its partners are working to help RFMOs build rigorous and robust compliance mechanisms that meet today’s demands for accountability and transparency in the governance of shared fishery resources.
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published a position statement ahead of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s (IOTC) annual meeting, which takes place May 16-20, 2022. The statement leads with the request for urgent and immediate steps to reduce catch of the yellowfin tuna in line with scientific advice.
“Although the IOTC ultimately agreed on a new rebuilding measure for yellowfin tuna in 2021, the effectiveness of that measure is uncertain given the number of Commission members that objected to it,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “The situation is as just as urgent this year as it was in 2021. The yellowfin stock remains overfished, and catches continue to increase despite the rebuilding plan and catch reductions by some fleets under previous measures.
“And it’s not just yellowfin that are of concern. Catches of skipjack tuna in 2020 were higher than the annual catch limits set by the IOTC harvest control rule. The Commission must adopt an effective, enforceable rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna that gives full effect to the advice of the IOTC Scientific Committee by reducing catches by at least 22%,” Jackson continued. “And for skipjack, the IOTC must ensure that catches in 2022 do not exceed the agreed annual limit. These actions are critical to ensuring the long-term sustainable management of these important tuna resources.”
Specifically, ISSF is calling on IOTC to:
Adopt revisions to ensure the effective rebuilding of yellowfin tuna by reducing catches by at least 22% relative to the 2020 catch level; and address over-catches in contravention of specific IOTC resolutions
Ensure that catches of skipjack in 2022 do not exceed the limit set by the adopted harvest control rule
Adopt a bigeye tuna management procedure, and agree on permanent limit and target reference points for tropical and temperate tunas, particularly yellowfin
Strengthen fish aggregating device (FAD) management measures
Endorse the terms of references and work plan developed by the IOTC ad-hoc Working Group and accelerate work on electronic monitoring program standards
Amend the resolution to require fins naturally attached for sharks, irrespective of how they are landed
To facilitate continuous improvements toward the long term sustainability of global tuna fisheries, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) today announced updates to ISSF conservation measures (CM) that help ensure best practices for protecting sharks, sea turtles and seabirds; advance shark-finning prevention; and address fish aggregating device (FAD) management.
“ISSF continuously evolves our science-based conservation measures that guide seafood companies and tuna fishers to more sustainable practices. The ISSF Board of Directors has adopted changes to three vessel-focused measures that serve to deepen each measure’s impact,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “First, in additionally requiring proof of implementation rather than proof of policy alone for measures on protections for non-target species and shark finning prevention. And second, in making our conservation measure on FAD management policies more robust with the addition of data-reporting provisions.”
The amended ISSF conservation measures include:
Conservation Measure 3.6 – Transactions with Vessels Implementing Best Practices for Sharks, Sea Turtles and Seabirds
Conservation Measure 3.1(c) – Prohibition of Transactions with Companies without a Public Policy Prohibiting Shark Finning
Conservation Measure 3.7 – Transactions with Vessels or Companies with Vessel-based FAD Management Policies
Bycatch Prevention: Marine Species in Longline Tuna Fisheries
Since its inception, ISSF has dedicated resources and efforts to understanding bycatch issues in global tuna fisheries and helping to minimize bycatch.
ISSF expanded bycatch-mitigation measure CM 3.6 – Transactions with Vessels Implementing Best Practices for Sharks, Sea Turtles and Seabirds that requires ISSF participating companies to conduct transactions only with those longline vessels whose owners have a public policy requiring the implementation of the following best practices for sharks, seabirds and marine turtles:
The use of circle hooks and only monofilament lines (e.g., the use of wire trace is prohibited)
The use of whole finfish bait
Implementation by the crew of best practice handling techniques for sharks, seabirds and marine turtles such as those outlined in the ISSF Skippers’ Guidebook to Sustainable Longline Fishing Practices
No use of “shark lines” at any time”
The new update to this measure requires proof of implementation of the public policy, beginning December 31, 2023.
Shark Finning Prevention: Requirement to Land Sharks with Fins Naturally Attached
Sharks can be caught incidentally in tuna fishing operations, especially in longline fisheries. Sharks are also often intentionally targeted by vessels for the value of their fins in certain markets. Shark finning — the practice of retaining shark fins onboard and discarding the remaining carcasses at sea — threatens shark populations and violates the U.N. FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and its International Plan of Action for the Conservation and Management of Sharks.
ISSF is strengthening its existing shark-finning measure 3.1(c) – Prohibition of Transactions with Companies without a Public Policy Prohibiting Shark Finning that requires ISSF participating companies to refrain from transactions with companies that do not have a public policy prohibiting shark finning and requiring sharks be landed with fins naturally attached, if retained.
The new update to this measure requires proof of implementation of the public policy beginning July 1, 2023 for purse seine vessels and December 31, 2023 for longline vessels.
Marine Ecosystem Protections: FAD Management and Data Reporting
ISSF is committed to supporting better FAD management, globally, and recognizes that it is an important component of meeting the MSC Standard without conditions. CM 3.7 – Transactions with Vessels or Companies with Vessel-based FAD Management Policies requires that ISSF participating companies conduct transactions only with those purse seine vessels whose owners develop and make public FAD Management Policies that include the activities purse seine and supply vessels are undertaking (if any) on the following elements:
Comply with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements for fisheries statistics by set type.
Report additional FAD buoy data (FAD daily position data and echosounder acoustic records) for use by RFMO science bodies.
Support science-based limits on the overall number of FADs used per vessel and/or FAD sets made.
Use only non-entangling FADs to reduce ghost fishing.
Mitigate other environmental impacts due to FAD loss including through the use of biodegradable FADs and FAD recovery policies.
For silky sharks (the main bycatch issue in FAD sets), implement further mitigation efforts.
The measure is amended to add two new reporting requirements:
With respect to the element on reporting additional FAD buoy daily position data for use by RFMO science bodies (item b above), by 1 January 2023, public FAD Management Policies developed under this measure shall include a statement that purse seine vessels and supply vessels covered by the policy are reporting FAD position data to the relevant RFMO science bodies and/or national scientific institutions and/or its flag State, with a maximum time lag of 90 days. In the event that purse seine vessels and supply vessels covered by the policy report these data to national scientific institutions and/or its flag State, they shall document that they requested that these data be made available to the relevant RFMO for scientific purposes.
With respect to the element on reporting additional FAD buoy echosounder acoustic biomass data for use by RFMO science bodies (item b above), by 1 January 2024, public FAD Management Policies developed under this measure shall include a statement that purse seine vessels and supply vessels covered by the policy are reporting FAD echosounder biomass data to the relevant RFMO science bodies and/or national scientific institutions and/or its flag State, with a maximum time lag of 90 days. In the event that purse seine vessels and supply vessels covered by the policy report these data to national scientific institutions and/or its flag State, they shall document that they requested that these data be made available to the relevant RFMO for scientific purposes.
About ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance Process
Since its inception in 2009, ISSF has adopted conservation measures and commitments to facilitate its mission with the intent that processors, traders, marketers and others involved in the seafood industry will follow them to facilitate real and continuous improvement across global tuna stocks. Each ISSF participating company commits to conforming to these conservation measures to improve the long-term health of tuna fisheries. They also must adhere to the ISSA Compliance Policy.
ISSF participating tuna companies, which represent the majority of the world’s canned tuna production and include well-known brand names, are audited yearly by MRAG Americas on their compliance with ISSF conservation measures.
In addition to a summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that detail each organization’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual company compliance reports on its website.
The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its 2021 annual report today, titled Transparent Accountability Across Tuna Fisheries, which presents the organization’s commitment to the day-in-day-out work to achieve sustainable tuna fisheries, with a focus on verified transparency — a theme evident across all efforts, from ISSF’s work with industry partners to its advocacy appeals to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs).
“The theme we’ve chosen for this year’s report — fostering greater transparency and accountability — could apply to ISSF’s work in any year. But it seems especially relevant now, as we emerge from a pandemic that underscored our dependence on science and responsibilities to each other,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “Openness and responsiveness are embedded in our organizational DNA: ISSF exists because eight forward-thinking seafood companies in 2009 were willing to put themselves on the line to learn from fisheries scientists about how to become better stewards of the sea.”
Transparent Accountability Across Tuna Fisheries reviews ISSF’s continued global collaborations, marine research projects, and advocacy efforts to identify and promote best practices in tuna and ocean conservation with fishers, tuna companies, and RFMOs. The report also covers ISSF’s activities with environmental nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), scientific agencies, and more.
Jackson continued, “This long-term perspective and commitment to continuous improvement remain fundamental to ISSF’s guiding objective: helping tuna fisheries meet the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) standard without conditions. Transparency and accountability can take many forms, but both hinge on gathering, disseminating, analyzing, and activating data. We can’t make adjustments or fill gaps until we know where or why something is broken, what is missing, or whether previous actions or interventions have been effective.”
“Transparent Accountability Across Tuna Fisheries” Highlights
The report includes feature articles examining two of the most pressing topics related to more sustainable tuna fisheries today: electronic monitoring and supply chain transparency. Dr. Hilario Murua, ISSF Senior Scientist, authored “Electronic Monitoring in RFMOs — A Journey Towards Transparency.”
Dr. Tom Pickerell, Executive Director of the Global Tuna Alliance and Member of the ISSF Environmental Stakeholder Committee, contributed “Commitments and Credibility in the Tuna Supply Chain.”
Video content and downloadable graphics are available throughout the report, which also highlights these milestone ISSF accomplishments last year:
Advancing jelly FAD research to design and test the next generation of biodegradable fishing gear
Increasing outreach to fishery improvement projects (FIPs) and MSC certification assessments, and giving feedback for the first time on surveillance audits of current MSC-certified fisheries
Adding or amending conservation measures, including for longline fisheries, which catch about 10% of the world’s tuna, and increasing protections for vulnerable sharks, sea turtles, and seabirds
The ISSF Annual Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report shows a conformance rate of 99.6 percent by 25 ISSF participating companies as of March 2022. It tracks companies’ progress in conforming with ISSF’s thirty-two conservation measures (CM) such as these:
Conducting transactions only with purse seine vessels whose skippers have received science-based information from ISSF on best practices such as reducing bycatch
As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to audit participating companies to assess their compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. MRAG Americas conducts independent auditing based on a rigorous audit protocol.
In addition to a summary report, MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that detail each organization’s compliance with ISSF’s conservation measures. ISSF publishes these individual company compliance reports on its website.
ISSF fisheries scientist Dr. Gala Moreno has teamed up with physical oceanographers to design and test biodegradable FADs as more sustainable options for tuna fishing.
Of the total commercial tuna catch worldwide, 80.5% is sourced from stocks at “healthy” levels of abundance, according to the newest International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) Status of the Stocks report. In addition, 9.2% of the total tuna catch came from overfished stocks, and 10.3% came from stocks at an intermediate level of abundance.
The decrease in the overall percentage of the catch coming from stocks at healthy levels of abundance, from 87.7% in the September 2021 report to 80.5% in the March 2022 update, is mainly attributed to a change in the rating of the Eastern Pacific skipjack stock, which represents about 6% of the global tuna catch. The report downgrades that stock from a green to a yellow color rating. IATTC has not conducted a conventional assessment of skipjack tuna since 2012, so its status is uncertain. In addition, fishery indicators show an increase in fishing mortality in the floating-object (or FAD) fishery and a historical low level in skipjack average size, adding to the uncertainty of the actual stock status. ISSF urges the IATTC to conduct a conventional stock assessment as soon as possible.
Other changes in tuna stock status since the previous ISSF Status of the Stocks report include:
The Atlantic Ocean bigeye stock improved its spawning biomass status from orange to yellow and its fishing mortality status from orange to green.
The Mediterranean albacore stock’s spawning biomass status was downgraded from yellow to orange, and its fishing mortality rating was demoted from green to orange.
Several tuna stocks are considered overfished and/or subject to overfishing:
Indian Oceanyellowfin, Pacific bluefin tuna and Mediterranean albacore stocks are overfished and subject to overfishing.
Indian Ocean albacore and bigeye stocks are subject to overfishing.
In the new version of the report, the Management section in all stocks has been organized into two sections: “Harvest Strategy,” with a summary of the harvest strategy components agreed to date, and “Management Measures,” where all other management and conservation measures are described.
ISSF publishes its signature Status of the Stocks report twice each year using the most current scientific data on 23 major commercial tuna stocks.
Key Statistics in the Report
Abundance or “spawning biomass” levels: Globally, 61% of the 23 stocks are at healthy levels of abundance, 26% are at an intermediate level, and 13% are overfished.
Fishing mortality levels: 69.6% of the 23 stocks are experiencing a well-managed fishing mortality rate and 21.7% are experiencing overfishing.
Total catch: The catch of major commercial tuna stocks was 4.9 million tonnes in 2020, about 10% lower than in 2019. 57% was skipjack tuna, followed by yellowfin (30%), bigeye (8%), and albacore (4%). Bluefin tuna accounted for 1% of the global catch.
Largest tuna catches by stock: The five largest catches in tonnes, unchanged since the previous report, are Western Pacific Ocean skipjack, Western Pacific Ocean yellowfin, Indian Ocean skipjack, Indian Ocean yellowfin, and Eastern Pacific Ocean skipjack.
Tuna production by fishing gear: 66% of the catch is made by purse seining (approximately 36% associated or FAD sets, 27% unassociated or free school sets, and 3% dolphin sets), followed by longline (10%), pole-and-line (7%), gillnets (4%), and miscellaneous gears (13%). These percentages changed minimally since the previous report.
The Status of the Stocks report is reviewed by the ISSF Scientific Advisory Committee, which provides advice on its content. The report does not advocate any particular seafood purchase decisions.
The Pandemic’s Impact on the Status of the Stocks
The March 2022 Status of the Stocks is the fourth update of the report since March 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began to impact the work of the RFMOs. RFMOs have issued exemptions to certain monitoring requirements such as observer coverage. As such, the report’s summaries of management measures for the stocks, particularly in relation to observer coverage, may not be completely accurate in reflecting the monitoring that is ongoing during this exceptional period.
The report includes updated catch data and the latest changes to stock status and management as of early March 2022.
About the Report
There are 23 stocks of major commercial tuna species worldwide — 6 albacore, 4 bigeye, 4 bluefin, 5 skipjack, and 4 yellowfin stocks. The Status of the Stocks summarizes the results of the most recent scientific assessments of these stocks, as well as the current management measures adopted by the RFMOs. Updated twice per year, Status of the Stocks assigns color ratings (green, yellow or orange) using a consistent methodology based on three factors: Abundance, Exploitation/Management (fishing mortality), and Environmental Impact (bycatch).
ISSF produces two Status of the Stocks reports annually to provide clarity about where we stand — and how much more needs to be done — to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks. The Status of the Stocks presents a comprehensive analysis of tuna stocks by species, and the Evaluation of the Sustainability of Global Tuna Stocks Relative to Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) Criteria provides scores for the stocks and RFMOs based on MSC assessment criteria. The MSC-certified fisheries list (Appendix 2) in Status of the Stocks complements the Evaluation report. Together, these tools help to define the continuous improvement achieved, as well as the areas and issues that require more attention.
In addition, ISSF maintains a data-visualization tool based on its Status of the Stocks report. The “Interactive Stock Status Tool” is located on the ISSF website and accessible through the Status of the Stocks overview page; users can easily toggle through tuna abundance and exploitation health indicators by catch or stock and filter by location and species as well as be informed about the share of total catch by species/stocks and gear types.
