The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) 28th session ended last week on a sour note for the European fleet, and Europêche states that the with the focus on FAD measures, IOTC has successfully created a smoke screen to mask its serious governance deficiencies and failure to adequately manage fish stocks, especially yellowfin and neritic tunas or enforce proper monitoring, control, and surveillance.
‘All measures proposed that were meant to improve transparency and better data for scientific analysis were either rejected or deeply weakened: this includes the Seychellean proposals to improve data collection and reporting, catch and effort, tropical tuna discard ban, the European Union’s High Sea Boarding and Inspection Scheme and observer coverage increase,’ said Anne-France Mattlet, Director of Europêche Tuna Group.
‘We believe that monitoring, control and surveillance, as well as data transparency, are the key for good management and urge IOTC members and other stakeholders to work in that sense during the intersessional period until the next Commission meeting in April 2025.’ She commented that with the focus – as always – on FAD measures, not much time was devoted to try to address the overfishing and overexploitation of yellowfin tuna as closures have been rejected and several states keep objecting to the recovery plan for yellowfin tuna.
‘IOTC has been extremely diligent in multiplying FAD measures that will have absolutely no effect of the yellowfin tuna stock recovery, as the purse seine fishery represent barely more than 20% of the catches and while a quota, respected by the European fleet, is already in place,’ Anne-France Mattlet said.
Cuts in FAD numbers per vessels were adopted, down to 225 by 2028, while the organisation was already strict with 300 FADs per vessel. Exemptions have been granted to Small Island Developing States and countries with a limited number of purse seiners, such as Korea, but not to other developing or less developed states.
‘This creates a significant disparity, disadvantaging notably European fleets and disrupting the level playing field,’ she commented, adding that these requirements are strictly observed by the European purse seine fleet, that also have 24/7 satellite monitoring (VMS), 100% observer coverage, and apply the whole EU control regulations.
‘Despite assurances from DG Mare’s director general Vitcheva that the EU would commit to preserving a level playing field at the IOTC, the European delegation, under pressure from pole-and-line lobbies, continues to accept non-science-based exemptions and reductions in FADs and supply vessels, which only exacerbate the inequality,’ said Europêche Tuna Group president Xavier Leduc.
The IOTC policy of reducing the number of supply vessels allowed per flag state is seen as discriminating against operators with only one or two purse seiners within the same flag state, as they may lose their supply vessels. Coupled with the prohibition on registering new supply vessels in the IOTC’s authorised vessel register, this measure also hinders developing states from expanding their fleets – as supply vessels are crucial for the purse seine fishery, as they help manage and recover deployed FADs and reduce fleet fuel consumption.
According to Europêche, these play a key role in the fleet’s decarbonisation strategy. – and measures such as these are seen as threatening the economic viability of the EU purse seine fleet in the Indian Ocean, with little to no effect on the recovery of yellowfin tuna.
There is some hope for IOTC as a management measure for skipjack and a full FAD biodegradability calendar, both required by the tuna freezers for a long time, have been successfully adopted, Anne-France Mattlet said.
‘It is excellent news, though not a surprise as they essentially affect countries having purse seiners, which are definitely in favour of better management and science. As long as the usual objectors and non-complying states are not affected, there is no problem for IOTC to adopt science-based innovative management measures,’ she added.
