In advance of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) annual meeting, 14-21 November 2022, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published its position statement, which calls on Atlantic Ocean tuna fisheries to improve stock protections and strengthen fish aggregating device (FAD) management.
ISSF is advocating for action to ensure that bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks are maintained at sustainable levels. It also is pushing for expanded FAD management measures, adoption of harvest strategies for western and eastern Atlantic bluefin tuna, stronger management and mitigation measures for sharks, and the development of standards for electronic monitoring and reporting to support more comprehensive observer coverage for Atlantic tuna fisheries.
“Many of the issues ISSF raised for ICCAT at this time last year have yet to be fully addressed. For example, catches of bigeye and yellowfin tuna have substantially exceeded total allowable catches (TACs) for years. And because there were no full allocations by fishing gear or by flag State, those members with over-catches could not always be identified,” ISSF President Susan Jackson said. “This situation must be addressed.”
Jackson also highlighted that the incomplete submission of required FAD data has persisted since 2014 and said this was hindering needed scientific analyses for the development of limits on FAD sets or deployments.
“The failure to provide these data is unacceptable, and ICCAT must take corrective action. Finally, the development of harvest strategies for all tropical tunas must be accelerated,” she said.
In its 20 October 2022 position statement, ISSF shared the following recommendations with ICCAT:
- Adopt catch limits that allow bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks to remain at sustainable levels, and ensure that catches are maintained within the TACs
- Adopt in 2022 a timeframe to transition to FADs without nets and made primarily with biodegradable materials; develop FAD recovery policies, marking scheme and ownership rules; and require FAD position and acoustic data for scientific use
- Adopt harvest strategies for bluefin tuna in 2022 and accelerate the development of harvest strategies for all tropical tuna stocks in 2023
- Adopt minimum standards for electronic monitoring by 2023. Require 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) for all major ICCAT fisheries, and all vessels engaged in at-sea transhipment by 2024
- Request that the Compliance Committee addresses non-compliance with FAD data reporting requirements and develops audit points for ICCAT measures
This year’s ICCAT meeting is taking place virtually and in person in Vale do Lobo, Portugal.
ISSF is a global coalition of seafood companies, fisheries experts, scientific and environmental organisations, and the vessel community.
