In advance of the 20th Special Meeting of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its position statement.
The ICCAT is taking place in Vilamoura, Portugal from the 14 to 21 November 2016.
Susan Jackson, ISSF president, said: “North and south Atlantic albacore stocks are no longer being overfished, and yellowfin stocks in the region are also showing signs of a strong recovery. ISSF applauds the efforts of ICCAT to improve these stocks and holds ICCAT up as an example of what can be accomplished through sound management.”
She added: “There are still significant steps to be taken in the region regarding harvest control rules and to address issues such illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and gaps in observer coverage.”
“ISSF will continue to advocate for these priorities aggressively to ensure the long-term viability of tuna fisheries in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.”
The foundation urges ICCAT to continue the progress established through Recommendation 15-04 to establish HCRs for the North Atlantic Albacore Stock and Recommendation 15-07 on the Development of HCRs and of Management Strategy Evaluation.
ICCAT delegates received an outreach letter from like-minded NGOs and industry colleagues prior to the meeting that underscored the need for continued progress on harvest strategies this year.
Setting on FADs accounts for nearly 40% of global tuna catches and 50% of global skipjack catches. In 2014, ICCAT created a Working Group on FADs, which has since met twice.
ISSF endorses the recommendations in the working group’s 2016 report: develop a total retention policy for tropical tunas to better manage bycatch and reduce discards in tropical tuna fisheries and extend 100% observer coverage on large-scale purse seine vessels to cover the entire year.
