To improve the long-term sustainability of global tuna fisheries, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has announced improvements to its conservation measures that help ensure best practices for protecting sharks, sea turtles and seabirds; advance shark-finning prevention; and address fish aggregating device (FAD) management.

Explaining that the coalition continuously evolves its science-based conservation measures that guide seafood companies and tuna fishers to more sustainable practices, ISSF President Susan Jackson said the Board of Directors has adopted changes to three vessel-focused measures that serve to deepen each measure’s impact.

Shark

Shark

ISSF’s strengthened shark-finning measure CM 3.1 requires its participating companies to refrain from transactions with companies that do not have a public policy prohibiting shark finning

“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,” she said.

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

By-catch prevention

ISSF expanded by-catch-mitigation measure CM 3.6 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:

a. The use of circle hooks and only monofilament lines (e.g., the use of wire trace is prohibited)

b. The use of whole finfish bait

c. 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

d. No use of shark lines at any time

The new update to this measure requires proof of implementation of the public policy, beginning 31 December 2023.

Shark finning prevention

ISSF’s strengthened shark-finning measure CM 3.1 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 1 July 2023 for purse seine vessels and 31 December 2023 for longline vessels.

FAD management

ISSF said it is committed to supporting better FAD management globally and recognises that it is an important component of meeting the MSC Standard without conditions.

CM 3.7 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:

a. Comply with flag state and RFMO reporting requirements for fisheries statistics by set type.

b. Report additional FAD buoy data (FAD daily position data and echosounder acoustic records) for use by RFMO science bodies.

c. Support science-based limits on the overall number of FADs used per vessel and/or FAD sets made.

d. Use only non-entangling FADs to reduce ghost fishing.

e. Mitigate other environmental impacts due to FAD loss including through the use of biodegradable FADs and FAD recovery policies.

f. 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
  • 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

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