fad: fact aggregating document updated: february …...brisbane, taking stock: la jolla, bellagio...

19
International Seafood Sustainability Foundation There is no quick fix or simple solution to reverse unsustainable practices in tuna fisheries. True sustainability can not be achieved by simply switching fishing methods, segmenting off a piece of the ocean or abandoning efficient fishing methods without a sustainable alternative. Supporting better, responsible practices requires commitment, innovation and some courage. Following is a compilation of insights, solutions and strategies about the key issues surrounding sustainability. Content: 1. ISSF Commitments, Actions and Resolutions.....................................2-6 2. Fishing Method Facts..................................................................................7-10 3. Frequently Asked Questions: FADs....................................................11-14 4. ISSF: Summary of Positions....................................................................15-18 5. About ISSF ..........................................................................................................19 FAD: Fact Aggregating Document Updated: February 2012

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Page 1: FAD: Fact Aggregating Document Updated: February …...Brisbane, Taking Stock: La Jolla, Bellagio Conference on Sustainable Tuna Fisheries, Napa Allocation Workshop, Guayaquil Rights-based

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

There is no quick fix or simple solution to reverse unsustainable practicesin tuna fisheries. True sustainability can not be achieved by simplyswitching fishing methods, segmenting off a piece of the ocean orabandoning efficient fishing methods without a sustainable alternative.Supporting better, responsible practices requires commitment, innovationand some courage.

Following is a compilation of insights, solutions and strategies aboutthe key issues surrounding sustainability.

Content:

1. ISSF Commitments, Actions and Resolutions.....................................2-62. Fishing Method Facts..................................................................................7-103. Frequently Asked Questions: FADs....................................................11-144. ISSF: Summary of Positions....................................................................15-185. About ISSF..........................................................................................................19

FAD: Fact Aggregating DocumentUpdated: February 2012

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Summary of Commitments, Actions and Resolutions

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

CommitmentsIn June 2011, ISSF adopted a set of Commitments calling on industryto support those vessels that comply with measures designed toimprove tuna sustainability. Briefly, here are the Commitments and theirimplementation dates, more details about the Commitments can befound at www.iss-foundation.org.

ISSF Commitments Implementation Date

All Tuna Vessels Must…

Have an IMO Number.....................................................................................1/2012

Have a Unique Vessel Identifier, if unable to receive IMO number................................................................1/2013

Use Improved-Design FADs.........................................................................1/2013

Tuna Purse Seine Vessels Must…

No Transship at Sea........................................................................................1/2012

Be Flagged to RFMO Member or Cooperating Non-Member .....................................................................1/2012

Report All Tuna and Bycatch Data to appropriate RFMO.......................................................................................1/2013

Submit their FAD Logbooks to RFMO......................................................1/2013

Have an Observer Onboard..........................................................................1/2013

Have their Skipper Complete ISSF Training..........................................1/2013

Retain all Tuna Landed....................................................................................1/2013

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Summary of Commitments, Actions and Resolutions p.2

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

Have their Observer Complete ISSF Training.......................................1/2014

Retain All Sharks and Other Fish Landed..............................................1/2014

Have their Flag State be in Substantial Compliance with RFMO Obligations..................................................................................1/2014

Participate in a Global VMS.........................................................................1/2014

Longline Tuna Vessels Must…

Report All Tuna and Bycatch Data to RFMO........................................1/2013*

Have an Electronic VMS/Observer System ...........................................1/2014*

Implement Best Practices in Bycatch Mitigation.......................................TBD

Pole and Line Tuna Vessels Must…

Participate in a Fishery that has Baitfish Management Plan.........1/2014

* Deadlines for Longline vessels less than 24m are one year later for both commitments.

Shark Finning BanFinning is the practice of cutting fins from live sharks and discardingthe sharks at sea. ISSF has adopted a conservation measure that callsfor processors, traders, importers, transporters and others involved inthe seafood industry to refrain from transacting business with vessels thatcarry out shark finning and with fishing companies that fail to implementa company-wide policy against finning.

TraceabilityISSF Participating Companies maintain a credible scheme that tracestuna from capture to store shelf, including the name and flag ofcatcher and transshipping vessels, fish species, ocean of capturecorresponding to tuna regional fisheries management organization(RFMO) area, fishing trip dates, fishing gear, date the company tookownership of the fish and each species by weight.

Actions and Resolutions

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Summary of Commitments, Actions and Resolutions p.3

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

IUU FishingISSF Participating Companies have each independently committed torefrain from transactions with vessels on any RFMO IUU list identifiedas having engaged in illegal, unreported or unregulated fishingactivities. Our traceability scheme ensures the Participating Companieskeep this pledge and if product is later found to have come fromvessel placed on such a list it will be recalled from the marketplace.

Marine Protected AreasISSF supports marine protected areas (MPAs) of sufficient size andduration, as determined by sound science, to accomplish clearconservation objectives for tuna populations and the ecosystem uponwhich they depend.

DriftnetsISSF Participating Companies responded to ISSF’s call to refrain fromtransactions in tuna caught using indiscriminate large-scale pelagicdriftnet by each independently committing to the ban.

Data SupportIn order for RFMOs to function more effectively, as intended, thescientific advisors of these governing bodies need access to the mostcurrent and comprehensive data available. All ISSF ParticipatingCompanies provide data for their tuna purchases to RFMO scientists,including: name of vessel, call sign, tuna purchases, flag state, startand end dates of unloading, name of catcher vessel(s), IMO/UVInumber, and/or processor originating transshipment(s), date(s) oftransfer of fish from catcher vessel(s) by vessel, and/ or transfer fromprocessor(s) to carrier, location of transfer(s) for transshipped catch,out turn or bill of lading (weight of catch by commercial species/ sizecategories, by catcher vessel(s) and/ or processor(s) or transshipment(s).These data points are generally used to determine catch by species,and in analyses of catches recorded in fishing vessel logbooks andobserver records.

Sea Turtle Habitat Restoration and ProtectionWhile the most significant threats to the world’s endangered sea turtlesare habitat destruction and predation, fishing practices can also have animpact on these vulnerable populations. That impact is minimal in purseseine fisheries but does increase in occurrence with the use of longlinevessels, particularly those smaller vessels that fish closer to shore.

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In an effort to protect these creatures where they live, the ISSFScientific Advisory Committee helped to identify local, on-the-groundprojects that are already achieving results. Instead of reinventing thewheel, ISSF provides additional funding to these existing programs,including: the conservation of Solomon Islands Leatherbacks in a programconducted by The Nature Conservancy and their regional partners;the conservation of Central American Hawksbill facilitated by TheOcean Foundation; the mitigation of turtle meat consumption onSantiago Island, a program being run through the Cape Verde SeaTurtle Network; and a sea turtle conservation program managed byProyecto TAMAR in Brazil.

Promoting ScienceA core focus of ISSF is the promotion of science-basedinitiatives to help improve tuna fisheries. In the threeyears since the coalition’s launch, ISSF has funded andfacilitated a series of highly attended workshops andseminars with participation from leading scientists,economists, fishers, government officials, industryrepresentatives and conservationists.

These events include: Taking Stock: Seychelles, Taking Stock:Brisbane, Taking Stock: La Jolla, Bellagio Conference on SustainableTuna Fisheries, Napa Allocation Workshop, Guayaquil Rights-basedManagement Workshop, Cordoba Tuna Allocation Workshop, Mitigationof Bycatch in the Tuna Purse Seine Floating Object Fisheries, ISSFStock Assessment Workshop in Rome and Skippers Workshops heldin locations around the world.

Additionally, ISSF initiated a project to test the latest in electronicmonitoring technology onboard a tropical tuna vessel. The system isdesigned for instances where an onboard human observer is not apractical, or safe, option or to supplement human observers. Theobservation of fishing activities provides validation of critical catchand operational data, integral to scientific analyses and markettransparency.

ISSF PresidentSusan Jacksonspeaking at the

first tuna conferencein the Seychelles.

Summary of Commitments, Actions and Resolutions p.4

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Bycatch Reduction ProjectISSF is facilitating a globally coordinated, at-sea project to identifybest practices, new techniques and enhanced technologies that willallow fishers to minimize the amount of non-targeted fish and othermarine life captured as a result of purse seine fishing for tuna.

In 2011, ISSF launched two cruises, one in the Eastern Pacific Oceanand the other in the Indian Ocean. Reaserch from these cruises isbeing shared with vessel crewmembers through workshops hostedin communities around the world, fostering a direct dialogue that willhave an immediate impact on the practices of fishers who supply theworld with tuna. In 2012, scientists will work alongside fishers in thewestern and central Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean.

Summary of Commitments, Actions and Resolutions p.5

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Fishing Method FactsInternational Seafood Sustainability Foundation

Purse Seine Purse seine fishing for tuna accounts for more than 60 percent of theworld’s tuna catch. This type of gear uses a net set vertically in thewater. When a school of tuna is sighted, the purse seine vessel encirclesthe school and traps them in the net by linking back up with a smallervessel, referred to as a skiff, which holds the other end of the net. Thecrew uses a winch to close the bottom of the net by pulling a chainthat is looped through rings at the bottom of the net, and then theclosed net, with the fish inside, is rolled close to the side of the purseseiner. Once alongside the vessel, the fish is ‘scooped’ out of the netand transferred into storage wells filled with refrigerated sea-waterwhere the fish is ultimately frozen.

Identifying the most ‘sustainable’ fishing method for tuna is difficult. Each gear type has advantages

and disadvantages.

AdvantagesThis method is extremely efficient and consistent enabling fishers tocatch and freeze large quantities of tuna. Purse seine vessels are themost widely used method to catch skipjack tuna, which is a fast-growingand healthy species in every region of the world. When fishing on free-swimming schools of tuna, purse seine fishing has an average bycatchrate that is less than 1 percent.

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Fishing Method Facts p.2

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

DisadvantagesWhile most any vessel captain will take advantage of free-swimming schools,these types of sets are not regular making for inconsistent catches. Chasingafter free-swimming schools also consumes more time and resources. Forthat reason most purse seine fishing vessels also use floating objects, or fishaggregating devices (FADs), to catch tuna. While making fishing results moreefficient, this method leads to a higher average bycatch rate.

Average proportion of nontarget species (compared to target species) infreeschool sets is 0.3% versus 1.7% in FAD schools in the Western PacificOcean, 0.8% versus 2.4% in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, 0.8% versus 3.6% inthe Indian Ocean, 2.8% versus 8.9% in the Atlantic Ocean.

LonglineLongline fishing for tuna accounts for about 14 percent of the world’stuna catch. This method consists of a main line, kept afloat withbuoys, from which branch lines are suspended, each with a baitedhook attached to the end. In addition to supplying the tuna processingindustry, longline fisheries also supply the fresh and frozen tuna markets.

AdvantagesThis method is the best way to catch fish that swim deeper, such as largeralbacore, bigeye and yellowfin. Fish is caught ‘one by one’ and frozen inblast freezing systems, the same type of freezing used for ‘sashimi’ fish.

DisadvantagesLongline fishing has one of the highest bycatch rates of any gear used tofish for tuna. The average bycatch rate is 28 percent of the total catch,according to the UN FAO. Mitigation methods have been developed to minimizethe bycatch impact of longline fishing on sea birds and turtles but thesemethods have only recently being implemented.

(Source: Dagorn, L., and V.R. Restrepo. 2011. Questions and answers about FADs and bycatch. ISSF TechnicalReport 201103. International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.)

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Fishing Method Facts p.3

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

Pole and LinePole and line fishing accounts for about 10 percent of the world’stuna catch.

The pole and line catch is split among several important markets –fresh/frozen, local consumption and processed – making roughly halfof what is caught currently available for canned tuna processing.Based upon a rough calculation, this means that only about 3% of theworld’s canned tuna market is supported by this form of fishing.

AdvantagesThe most desirable aspect of this method is that there is virtually nobycatch of sharks, turtles and other larger marine animals. Catching tunaone-by-one allows fishers to make sure they’re reeling in tuna.

DisadvantagesThis method requires the capture of live bait, like sardines and anchovies.These small fish often come from stocks that local fishers rely on but aregenerally not managed. Greater catches using pole and line gear wouldrequire more bait and studies show global bait fisheries could not sustainablysupport an increase in catch.

Bycatch rates for pole and line are low, unless the baitfish used in theprocess is included as bycatch, in which case pole and line's bycatch ratewould rise to 3%.

(Source: Gillett, Robert. Replacing Purse Seining with Pole-and Line Fishing in the WesternPacific. Rep. ISSF, 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. http://iss-foundation.org/science/technical-reports/)

The catch of small tunas is significant in pole and line fisheries. For skipjack,juveniles can make up as much as 11% of the catch. The percentage ofjuvenile yellowfin and bigeye taken in pole and line fisheries ranges from69-100% of the weighted catch, depending on the ocean region.

(Source: Restrepo, V.R. 2011. Computing a global bycatch rate of non-target species intropical tuna purse seine fisheries. ISSF Technical Report 201107. International SeafoodSustainability Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.)

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Fishing Method Facts p.4

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

TrollTroll fishing for tuna makes up about 2 percent of the annual catch. Thesefisheries mainly target albacore tuna, using lures towed behind a vessel.

Data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization helps to put bycatch in tuna fisheries into some statistical perspective.

AdvantagesThis method has minimal bycatch, although there is very limited data available.

DisadvantagesVessels that use this gear to fish for tuna typically end up taking a significantnumber of juveniles or smaller sized tuna.

1Low estimates in some fisheries (e.g. gillnet) are partly a result of the inclusion of high Chinese catches with low or negligible discard rates.

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Weighted Average Discard Rate (%)Fishery

62.3

28.5

28.3

23.2

9.6

7.5

5.1

3.4

2.0

1.4

1.2

0.4

0.1

0.1

0.05

Shrimp trawl

Tuna and HMS Longline

Dredge

Mobile trap/pot

Demersal finfish trawl

Demersal longline

Tuna purse seine

Midwater (pelagic) trawl

Handline

Mulitgear and multispecies

Small pelagic purse seine

Tuna pole and line

Hand collection

Squid jig

Gillnet (surface/bottom/trammel)1

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FAD FAQInternational Seafood Sustainability Foundation

What is a FAD?A fish aggregating device, or FAD, is simply a floating object thatattracts fish. There are two main types of FADs, natural and man-made;man-made can be drifting or anchored FADs.

Where are FADs located?FADs are located in virtually every tropical ocean region of the worldand some subtropical regions as well.

Why do vessels use FADs?It is an extremely efficient way to fish. FADs allow a vessel to take atargeted approach, therefore minimizing the time needed to searchfor schools of tuna. In addition, FAD sets tend to be more successful,whereas free-swimming schools are more difficult to chase after andcatch successfully. Thus, FAD fishing saves time, resources and fuel.

• Natural FADs are most commonly logs and branches but may alsoinclude debris left in the environment.

• Most artificial FADs are constructed of bamboo and other floatingmaterials, with panels of netting or other materials submerged underwater.When left at-sea, tuna and other marine life gather underneath theFAD. Fishers use sonar or electronic buoys to monitor and relocateFADs. Enhanced technology also allows a captain to remotely deter-mine if the object has attracted tuna and calculate whether it wouldbe worth the vessel traveling to the location to fish.

• Anchored FADs are floating objects that remain in a fixed location.Traditionally used in coastal fisheries, today this technique is also beingused further from shore.

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What fishing methods utilize FADs?Purse seine fishing, which uses nets is the most widely used methodto catch tuna, making up more than 63% of the global catch. These ves-sels are also the most frequent users of FADs.

Pole and line – or baitboat – fishing makes up about 10% of the globaltuna catch. These fisheries have significantly increased the use ofanchored floating objects in recent years.

(Sources: ISSF [2010] Status of the World Fisheries for Tuna; ICCAT [2008] Report of the 2008 ICCATYellowfin and Skipjack Stock Assessments Meeting, SCRS/2008/016)

What is the rate of bycatch when fishing on FADs?Bycatch in purse seine FAD fisheries – the catch of marine life fishersdid not set out to target – is largely other non-targeted, small tuna.Other species of fish, sharks and other marine life can also becaptured incidentally.

The amount of bycatch in purse seine FAD fisheries can vary widelydepending on the region, time of the year, vessel, crew experienceand other factors. Typically, bycatch in FAD-based tuna fisheries ismade up of other fish, sharks and rays, averaging about 2.37% of thetotal catch. Unassociated purse seine sets, or fishing without FADs,results in less bycatch, ranging on average from 0.5% - 1%.

In purse seine fisheries most of the nontarget species bycatch -between 81 to 95 percent - is represented by other tuna species andbony fishes. These species are generally considered fast growing,highly fertile with high natural mortality rates, which makes themresilient to exploitation.

(Source: Dagorn, L., and V.R. Restrepo. 2011. Questions and answers about FADs and bycatch. ISSFTechnical Report 201103. International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.)

FAD FAQ p.2

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Pole and line fisheries have limited bycatch of non-target speciesalthough the rate of capture of small tunas for skipjack can be 11%and for yellowfin and bigeye the catch of juvenile fish can range from69-100% of the weighted catch. The biggest issue with pole and linefishing is that these vessels need to capture baitfish from largelyunmanaged fisheries and growth of this form of fishing would leadto significant issues within the world’s bait fisheries. The averageamount of baitfish used in a pole and line fishery amounts to roughly3% of the tuna landings.

(Source: Restrepo, V.R. 2011. Computing a global bycatch rate of non-target species in tropical tunapurse seine fisheries. ISSF Technical Report 2011-07. International Seafood Sustainability Foundation,Washington, DC, USA.)

(Source: Gillett, Robert. Replacing Purse Seining with Pole-and Line Fishing in the Western Pacific.Rep. ISSF, 2010. Web. 11 Mar. 2011. http://iss-foundation.org/science/technical-reports/)

How are FAD fisheries managed?Generally, highly migratory tuna fisheries are managed by RFMOs –regional fisheries management organisations. These are governingbodies created by treaty amongst coastal nations and distant waterfishing nations fishing a common region of ocean. RFMOs adoptconservation management measures, set quotas, authorise vesselsand fulfill a host of related management responsibilities. Supportingthe RFMOs in each of the world’s major oceans are scientific bodiesthat develop fisheries science and provide conservation recommen-dations to be taken up by the RMFO member nations.

Purse seiners – depending on the region, their size and capacity – arerequired to meet certain requirements and follow guidelines set outby RFMOs. This includes ISSF's Commitment for all purse seinevessels to keep and submit FAD logbooks to their respective RFMOsas well as register and adhere to all RFMO conservation measuresand data submitting requirements.

The most common form of management in FAD fisheries has beentemporary closures to fishing in areas of high concentrations of smalltunas. Such restrictions are currently being enforced in all oceans.

FAD FAQ p.3

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Is anything being done to minimize the impact of fishing on FADs?The short answer is – yes. RFMOs are increasing the amount ofobserver coverage on purse seine vessels. This is key to understandingthe amount of bycatch generated from fishing on FADs in differentareas at different times. The EPO and WCPO have 100% observercoverage on large vessels.

The data tells us tells us that the capture of small, non-targeted tunasis the biggest concern in purse seine FAD fisheries. While vessels setout to fish for skipjack tuna – a species that is healthy in every regionit’s found – they can also catch yellowfin and bigeye tuna from stocksthat are not as healthy, or are even overfished. In addition, the catchof small individuals of species such as bigeye can be wasteful, becausethese stocks could support much higher yields if the individuals wereallowed to mature before being caught. Scientists recognize this and,in recent years, have been aggressively studying and researching theuse of FADs, their impact and ways to reduce the negatives.

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) is facilitatinga globally coordinated at-sea project to identify best practices, newtechniques and enhanced technologies that will allow fishers to minimizethe amount of non-targeted fish and other marine life captured as aresult of fishing for tuna. This research is being shared with vesselcrewmembers through workshops hosted in communities around theworld, fostering a direct dialogue that can have an immediate impacton the practices of fishers who supply the world’s processors with tuna.

ISSF has also commissioned research in an effort to generate acomprehensive understanding of the impact of all fishing methodson the environment. These areas include the sustainability of pole andline bait fisheries and the fuel consumption of all vessel gear typesused to fish for tuna.

In January 2013, the ISSF Commitment requiring purse seine vesselssubmit FAD logbooks to RFMO scientific bodies will go into effect. Thisrequirement will greatly improve the gathering of FAD data worldwide.

FAD FAQ p.4

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Summary of PositionsInternational Seafood Sustainability Foundation

Position: ISSF supports marine protected areas when appropriate.

While research and data collection regarding Marine Protected Areas(MPAs) is still in its infancy, it is well documented that small closuresin coastal and near shore areas can be an effective method for theconservation of low-mobility small pelagic species such as sardinesand some larger species including marlin. The success of these closuresfor species with limited mobility and range has lead to support for theexpansion of MPAs to pelagic environments and species, including tuna.

However, because of their highly migratory nature, there is stillsignificant debate on whether MPAs are an effective strategy for themanagement of tuna species. Closed areas can help preserve biodiversity,avoid overfishing and prevent conflicts among different users, but theycannot achieve all of these equally. ISSF supports MPAs in the right circumstance, but does not endorsean arbitrary percentage of the oceans being closed for tuna. It isimportant to note that marine protected areas or closures, even thosebased on scientific advice, will have varying levels of success dependingon species. Therefore closures should have clear objectives and must besupported by more specific scientific reasoning before being considered.

(Source: Davies, T.K., S. Martin, C. Mees, E. Chassot and D.M. Kaplan. 2012. A review of the conservationbenefits of marine protected areas for pelagic species associated with fisheries. ISSF Technical Report2012-02. International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.)

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Position: ISSF supports pole and line fishing for tuna

Currently, about 10% of the world’s tuna fishing uses pole and linemethod. This method is generally utilized by artisanal fisheries insmaller, developing coastal nations. The catch is split among severalimportant markets – fresh/ frozen, local consumption and processed– making roughly half of what is caught currently available for cannedtuna processing. Based upon a rough calculation, this means thatonly about 3% of the world’s canned tuna market is supported by thisform of fishing.

Pole and line fishing can be a sustainable source for tuna. One of themost attractive features of these fisheries is that they do not landmany non-tuna species. However, they do require large amounts of“baitfish” (different species of small pelagic fishes) which, if includedin bycatch figures, would raise pole and line's bycatch rate to 3%.Thus, it is misleading to think that pole-and-line fishing is free of bycatchconcerns. The amount of baitfish populations available to pole and linefishing is limited and bait fisheries need to be managed with the samediligence as tuna stocks. Based on the scientific evidence available, itwould not be possible to significantly increase pole and line fishingwithout severely impacting the health of the various bait fisheries.

The baitfish used for pole & line is vital to local subsistence fisheries andan important part of regional marine ecosystems. ISSF’s Commitmentfor pole and line fisheries is to establish a management plan for thebaitfish populations by January 2015.

These fisheries can also have a significant level of bycatch of othertuna species, which may or may not be as healthy as the targetedstock. As an example, about 10% of the catch in the Maldives, a poleand line fishery that targets skipjack, is comprised of yellowfin andbigeye, most of it small.

It should also be kept in mind that if the demand for pole and linecaught tuna increases, more vessels would be needed to catch thefish (assuming that there will be sufficient baitfish resources available).With near universal consensus that there is already excess capacityin tuna fisheries – meaning more vessels than the resource can support –

Summary of positions p.2

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

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Summary of positions p.3

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

Position: ISSF is working to reduce the environmental impactof purse seine fishing for tuna with FADs

Tunas are attracted to floating objects and humans have takenadvantage of this for centuries. Today, many modern vessels usesophisticated FADs that they ‘plant’ at sea and which transmit to thefishing vessel information about the amount of fish available underthe FAD along with the FAD's position. This makes this fishing methodvery efficient, with a relatively small amount of fuel and otherresources used to catch the tuna. But with efficiency comes a tradeoff – FADs also attract small tuna that is not being targeted, as wellas other fish species and some species of sharks. Not all bycatch iskilled; some of it is released alive at sea.

There is a higher rate of bycatch in purse seine FAD fisheries thanthere is in purse seine fisheries that do not use the floating objects.Statistics collected by the regional fishery management organizationsthat manage the tuna fisheries show that FAD fishing results in abycatch level of about 2.37% compared to about 1% when FADs arenot being utilized. This bycatch rate is well below many other fisheries.

(Source: Dagorn, L., and V.R. Restrepo. 2011. Questions and answers about FADs and bycatch. ISSFTechnical Report 201103. International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Washington, DC, USA.)

In addition, FAD fishing results in a higher catch of small tunas,including some sensitive species like bigeye, which are not beingtargeted by the vessels. This can make up 15 to 20% of the total tunacatch. While this fish is used for tuna processing, it has a lower valueand the ideal situation would be to reduce the amount of small fishbeing caught.

any growth in pole and line fleets must be met with a reduction inthe capacity of other fishing gear types (i.e., purse seining and longline). Without that, any growth in pole and line fishing could negativelyimpact the health of global tuna stocks.

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Summary of positions p.4

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

We believe that the level of bycatch can be reduced substantiallythrough utilization of best practices, modifications in fishing gear/nets and new technology. This is the approach being supported byISSF through a three-year research program including both skippertraining and at-sea research. This research is being shared withvessel crew members through workshops hosted in communitiesaround the world fostering a direct dialogue that can have animmediate impact on the practices of fishers who supply theworld’s processors with tuna. ISSF's focus is on fishery improvement –not abandoning those that need work, so instead of calling for a ban, we’reworking to fix what’s wrong with FAD fishing while keeping what works.

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ABOUT ISSFInternational Seafood Sustainability Foundation

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation is a global coalitionof scientists, the tuna industry and WWF, the world’s leading conservationorganization, promoting science-based initiatives for the long-termconservation and sustainable use of tuna stocks, reducing bycatchand promoting ecosystem health.