ISSF - International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

06/03/2021 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 06/03/2021 01:06

3 June 2021 E News

Featured Content

Yellowfin TunaRebuilding Tops 'Asks' of Indian OceanFisheries Managers

ISSF includes recommendations on an IOTC yellowfin rebuilding plan in its IOTC position statement for the June Commission meeting, which also includes these 'asks':

  1. Adopt without delay an effective rebuilding plan for yellowfin tuna which, if implemented effectively, would imply a reduction to a total catch between 350,000 and 403,000 tonnes.
  2. Address over-catches in contravention of Resolution 19/01.
  3. Urgently monitor and manage catches of skipjack to ensure catches in 2021 do not exceed the limit set by the adopted Harvest Control Rule.
  4. Accelerate the develop Management Procedures and agree on permanent Limit and Target Reference Points for tropical and temperate tunas, particularly yellowfin, by 2022.
  5. Request the Scientific Committee to provide science-based limits on FAD deployments and/or FAD sets; develop in 2021 and adopt, by 2022, FAD marking guidelines and FAD tracking and recovery policies; and require the use of biodegradable materials in the construction of FADs and establish a timeline for transitioning to 100% biodegradable.
  6. Establish the Working Group on Electronic Monitoring (EM) and develop EM program minimum standards by 2022. Require 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) in industrial tuna fisheries, including all those engaged in at sea transshipment, by 2024.

Read the Statement

New Blog

Reviewing Progress on the Path to Better Designed, Better Managed FADs

An updated blog reviews the efforts of ISSF, together with research, NGO, and industry partners, to ensure that FAD fisheries are sustainable for the long term. Topics explored include:

Read the Blog

ICYMI

Is Catching Immature Fish Truly Unsustainable?

There is a widespread perception that catching immature, smaller fish - also called 'juveniles' - is a very bad thing.

The fact is that a fish stock can become overfished by taking too many immature fish, by taking too many adults, or by taking too many of both. To put it another way, it is bad to catch too many of tomorrow's spawners, but it is also bad to take too many of today's spawners.

Christopher Zimmermann, Dr. Victor Restrepo, and Kristina Barz explore the question on the ISSF Blog.

Learn More in the Blog

Featured Graphics

Bycatch Rates by Ocean & Set Type

An infographic shows bycatch rates for both free school sets and FAD sets in tuna purse-seine fisheries in four ocean regions over a 10-year period. It's based on presentation data shared at the International Workshop on Mitigating Environmental Impacts of Tropical Tuna Purse Seine Fisheries co-presented by ISSF and the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project.

View the graphic

Tropical Purse Seine Fisheries Bycatch: Indian Ocean

This infographic is part a four-part series, 'Tropical Purse Seine Fisheries: Current Bycatch Share by Ocean.' Each graphic highlights a particular region - the Indian Ocean, in this one.

First, the graphic shows the percentage of the catch that is either target tuna or bycatch - in each ocean region and based on set type. Then, the graphic takes a closer look at free-school -set-related bycatch in the highlighted ocean region, with percentages for each marine species.

View the graphic