An overview of Pacific mahi mahi stocks by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP) has found that the species may face a higher risk than was previously understood.
Researchers say that although the current assumptions are that Pacific mahi (also known as dolphinfish or dorado) stocks are generally in good condition, stock-wide assessments of the species have not been conducted and regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) do not have mahi conservation and management harvest control measures in place.
However, input controls for purse seine tuna fisheries and output controls for other pelagic species for pelagic longline fisheries are in place.
The overview is urging commercial buyers of Pacific mahi to encourage management authorities to invest in research to improve the knowledge of the stock and population structure of Pacific mahi, along with conducting stock assessments and establishing reference points and harvest control rules.
It also calls for improvement projects to be established and to begin to make progress in addressing deficits in fishing practices and governance systems, and for those already involved in fishery improvement projects to ensure continuous progress and to publicly report on this progress.
It also wants buyers of Pacific mahi to ask fisheries management authorities for fisheries that supply mahi to gradually incorporate ecosystem-based elements.
The report can be found here.
