The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Understanding the IOTC Process

IOTC Secretariat

Mauritius, 18-20 March 2014Compliance Workshop: Collection and reporting of Fisheries data to IOTC

Sponsored by BOBLME-IOC-SmartFish-IOTC

What is IOTC

IOTC is one of five tuna-Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO)

IOTC = Member countries

IOTC, a joint decision-making mechanism with actions taken at the individual country level

One of Five

CCSBT: Commission for the Conservation of Southern-Bluefin Tuna IATTC: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ICCAT: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic

Tunas IOTC: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission WCPFC: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

SOURCE: http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/map-tuna-regional-fisheries-management-organizations-85899361310

The formation of IOTC

1968: A IO Tuna Committee is established as part of the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (an FAO body): Review stock status Determine areas for future management Recommend measures

1980: Indo-Pacific Tuna Programme (IPTP) Technical support Establishment of a database of tuna fisheries in the IO (since 1970) Coordinated research (first tagging programmes) Prepared the groundwork for an RFMO

1986-1988 : Intergovernmental consultation France, Japan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand To prepare recommendations for a management arrangement

1993: The Agreement to establish IOTC is approved by the FAO Council (under Article XIV) Membership open to UN Members: Taiwan Province of China cannot join

IOTC Member and Cooperating Parties

Australia

Belize

China

Comoros Eritrea European Union

France Guinea Iran, Isl. Rep.

India Indonesia

Japan

Kenya Korea, Rep. Madagascar Maldives Malaysia Mauritius Mozambique Oman Pakistan Philippines Seychelles Sierra Leone Sri Lanka

SOURCE EEZ shape file: http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#eez

Sudan Tanzania Thailand United

Kingdom

Vanuatu Yemen

Cooperating parties: South AfricaSenegal

At present 31 Members plus 2 Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties

The IOTC Secretariat

Secretariat established in Seychelles in 1998 Facilitates the exchange of information between

Members Compiles, reviews, safe-keep, and disseminate

information, as agreed by IOTC CPCs Facilitates the scientific process

Provides information on fisheries and catch trends Coordination of research (e.g. Indian Ocean Tuna Tagging

Programme) Data analysis, in particular assessments of IOTC stocks

and impact of IOTC fisheries on other marine fauna (bycatch) and the ecosystem at large

Meeting organization and support Capacity building activities:

Science: IOTC-OFCF Project, COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, SWIOF

Compliance: COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, GEF-ABNJ

The MandateBiological & Economic

Promote conservation and optimum utilization of tuna stocks (Article V.1 IOTC Agreement) 16 IOTC species of tuna and

tuna-like

At present 16 stocks (??)

In the IOTC Area or any adjacent area IOTC stocks extend to

Highly migratory species

Highly Migratory: Tagging

Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna

Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna

Tuna movements: Tag recoveries of tunas that moved 1500 nautical miles or more from the point of release (considering movement in a straight line) Top: Indian Ocean Regional Tuna Tagging Project (off TANZANIA &

off OMAN) Bottom: Small scale tagging in the MALDIVES

The MandateBiological & Economic

Promote sustainable development of fisheries based on those stocks (Article V.1 IOTC Agreement) Include all fisheries that catch IOTC-

species (both directed at IOTC species or catching IOTC species as bycatch)

Assess effects of the fisheries on the ecosystem (e.g. incidental catches of other species such as sharks)

All coastal countries in the Indian Ocean plus some Distant-water fishing nations have fisheries for tunas

Trolling

Pole-and-line

Longline

Purse seine

Gillnet

Or any other catching IOTC species

MAIN

SPECIES

Group SpeciesTropical tunas Yellowfin tuna

Bigeye tuna

Skipjack tuna

Temperate tunas

Albacore

Southern bluefin tuna (CCSBT)

Bilfish Swordfish

Black marlin

Blue marlin

Striped marlin

Indo-Pacific sailfish

Neritic tunas Longtail tuna

Frigate tuna

Bullet tuna

Kawakawa

Seerfish Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel

Indo-Pacific king mackerel

OTHER

SPECIES

Species

Sharks and raysHighly migratory species of sharks (e.g. blue, makos, oc. whitetip, silky, thresher, porbeagle) and rays (e.g. manta rays, pelagic stingrays)

Marine turtlesGreen, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley, flatback

SeabirdsSeveral species of albatross, petrels and shearwaters

Marine mammalsSeveral species of toothed and baleen whales

Other finfishOther tuna species and other non- targeted, associated and dependent species

The Process

The three-stage structure of the process

The first step in the IOTC process: How is the scientific advice generated? Methods and models Data used Diagnostics and projections Situation of the major IOTC stocks

The second step: the decision making process How is the scientific advice used to generate conservation and

management measures?

The third step: National implementation and compliance What needs to be done at the national level after a decision is

adopted?

The structure of IOTC

Scientific Committee(advise on

status)

Scientific Committee(advise on

status)

Compliance Committee(advise on

enforcement)

Compliance Committee(advise on

enforcement)

Working Groups (scientific analysis)

•Tropical Tunas•Billfish•Temperate Tunas•Ecosystems & Bycatch•Data Collection and Stats•Neritic tunas

Working Groups (scientific analysis)

•Tropical Tunas•Billfish•Temperate Tunas•Ecosystems & Bycatch•Data Collection and Stats•Neritic tunas

IGOs and NGOs

IGOs and NGOs

Requests for advice or for execution of specific tasks

Provision of advice

Decision Making & IOTC Measures

Article V.2.d IOTC Agreement:

“To adopt, in accordance with Article IX and on the basis of scientific evidence, conservation and management measures, to ensure the conservation of the stocks covered by this Agreement and to promote the objective of their optimum utilization throughout the Area.”

Includes the adoption of standards for the collection and reporting of the fisheries data that are used in the generation of scientific advice

Regular review by the Commission and Scientific Committee of those standards, including levels of compliance by IOTC CPCs

Status of IOTC stocks

0.0

0.4

0.8

1.2

1.6

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Mil

lio

ns

of

me

tric

to

ns Catch IOTC Species 1973-2012

GUT

COM

BLT

FRI

KAW

LOT

SFA

MLS

BUM

BLM

SWO

SKJ

SBF

ALB

BET

YFT

Species

Year

Sum of Catch

WS

Last assessments

Stock 2013

2012

2011

2010

Prev.

Albacore 2007

Bigeye tuna 2008

Skipjack tuna No assessment

Yellowfin tuna 2008

Swordfish 2007

Blue marlin No assessment

Striped marlin No assessment

Other billfish Data poor methods; results need validation

Longtail tuna No assessment

Other neritic tunas Data poor; no assessment

Sharks Very poor data; no assessment

Colour key

Stock OVERFISHED (SByear/SBMSY<

1)

Stock NOT OVERFISHED (SByear/SBMSY≥

1)

Stock subject to

OVERFISHING (Fyear/FMSY>

1)

Stock NOT subject to

OVERFISHING (Fyear/FMSY≤

1)

Stock not assessed/ Uncertain

The status of half IOTC stocks and all sharks is poorly known due to the paucity of data available

How far does the IOTC data let us go

Sharks

Blue sharkOceanic whitetipThresher sharksMako sharksPorbeagleHammerhead sharksSilky sharkOther

Neritic tunas

Longtail tunaKawakawaFrigate tunaBullet tunaNB Spanish mackerelIP king mackerel

Sailfish and marlins

IP SailfishBlack marlinBlue marlinStriped marlin

Swordfish and albacore

AlbacoreSwordfish

Tropical tunas

Yellowfin tunaBigeye tunaSkipjack tuna[S. bluefin tuna]

The IOTC is as good as how its members participate (IN FULL) in these processes.

Thanking you for your attention www.iotc.org