As representatives of tuna regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) gather in Brisbane, Australia for an international workshop on bycatch, the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is urging RFMOs to adopt uniform best practices that could reduce the amount of non-target species incidentally taken during tuna fishing.
In a document presented during the International Workshop on Tuna RFMO Management Issues Relating to Bycatch, ISSF notes that “many bycatch issues are common to these RFMOs and that it would be effective for these management organizations to follow a common bycatch mitigation approach.” The Foundation also expresses concern that “the approaches taken to mitigate bycatch by the tuna RFMOs differ, sometimes substantially.”
ISSF is calling on RFMOs to implement uniform best practices that are consistent with the United Nations Fish Stocks Agreement: Require members collect and report fishery data on bycatch; disseminate that data; evaluate the impact of tuna fisheries on bycatch species and encourage ecosystems research; adopt measures that minimize waste; and adopt measures to mitigate bycatch.
“Adopting these best practices would be a never-before-seen level of progress,” ISSF President Susan Jackson said. “This kind of uniformity among RFMOs would bring us much closer to a comprehensive, global approach to tackling bycatch issues in tuna fisheries.”
To read the ISSF discussion document, click here.
After the 3-day workshop concludes, ISSF will host a science seminar, Taking Stock 2010 – Brisbane, which will feature some of the world’s top marine scientists exploring what is currently being done about bycatch of sharks, turtles and small tunas in purse seine fisheries. ISSF will also detail its at-sea research plan using a dedicated vessel.
