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Improving management of Tuna fisheries on the high seas

FAO Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna

By IW:LEARN

June 21^st, 2018

Many of the world’s most valuable fisheries and marine ecosystems are integrally dependent on the areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). The world's tuna fleet, made up of thousands of vessels from over 85 countries landing catches valued at almost USD 17 billion per annum, is one of them. Being highly migratory species, tunas present a significant challenge to the efforts of the five tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) to ensure sustainable fisheries management and biodiversity conservation.

In 2014, the five-year GEF-funded Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project was launched with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the implementing agency. This Project offers a unique opportunity for the Global Environment Facility (GEF), FAO and partners to fast-track the sustainability of ABNJ fisheries and address the urgent need to progress and strengthen responsible fisheries management and the conservation of biodiversity in the ABNJ.

Tuna purse seine vessel operating in the ABNJ – commonly referred to as the high seas. ©David Itano, ISSF

To strengthen tuna fisheries management, the Project is promoting the importance of how risk and precaution need to be understood and integrated into management frameworks. At the national level, workshops are being held to increase fisheries managers’ familiarity and confidence with harvest strategies. At the international level, the Project is facilitating a dialogue between scientists and managers in each tuna RFMO using management strategy evaluation simulation tools. As of today, harvest control rules have been developed and agreed for six tuna stocks and current tuna-RFMO efforts will continue until all major stocks are covered. A parallel process is underway for operationalizing an ecosystem approach to fisheries management in each tuna RFMO.

Participants at the 5th Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Management workshop in Bali, Indonesia © FAO

Unloading skipjack tuna to be bulk stored in a carrier, Solomon Islands. © Francisco Blaha

To improve the ability of tuna-RFMO countries to combat illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing - a severe threat to sustainable fisheries, ecosystems and legitimate fishers - the Project is facilitating capacity building and the development of innovative monitoring, control and surveillance tools. One example being the establishment of the first-ever, certification-based training programme for compliance officers operating in tuna fisheries - an initiative that has currently trained over 75 officers. In perhaps its most high profile achievement, the Project has proven the effectiveness of electronic monitoring systems as tools for compliance in two developing States. Trials involving 35 longline vessels in Fiji and the entire purse fleet of Ghana are now moving towards full-scale implementation.

Many sea turtle, seabird and marine mammal populations around the world are at risk from interactions with fishing gear, and the Project is supporting efforts to find new ways of addressing information gaps that impede the effective management of threats to ecosystems and biodiversity. Based on the growing concern with overfished sharks, the Project has assessed the status of bigeye thresher, silky and whale sharks across the Pacific, and the porbeagle shark throughout the circumpolar Southern Ocean. For sea turtles, the Project convened representatives from 21 countries and organizations to complete an analysis of the largest compilation to date of Pacific-wide sea turtle-longline fishery interactions. Other activities include an analysis for threatened seabird species along with port-based visits to encourage seabird mitigation techniques, training in safe-release and data collection of bycatch in gillnet fisheries in the Indian Ocean, as well as support for the design of non-entangling fish aggregating devices.

Blue shark hooked in the jaw with longline hook. © Terry Goss

This year is the final year of implementation, but until the Project has come to an end, efforts will continue to support activities that further accelerate priorities for the tuna-RFMOs and the development of innovative solutions among its partners. Several case studies and best-practice documents are in the making to synthesize the results and make the lessons learned available beyond the lifetime of the Project.

For more information:

Alejandro Anganuzzi, Global Project Coordinator: Alejandro.anganuzzi@fao.org Brochure: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5613e.pdf Website: www.fao.org/in-action/commonoceans Twitter: #CommonOceans

This story provides an illustration of how GEF IW projects are already addressing themes in the new GEF IW strategy for the 7th GEF Replenishment. In this case, the story highlights how projects can address Objective 2. Improve management in the Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ). In GEF-7 support will be given to foster information sharing to promote sustainable practices and inform decision-making by private businesses and regional organisations such as, LME commissions, RFMOs or the Regional Seas Programme. Addressing fisheries and in particular IUU fishing in the high seas will continue to be a high priority. GEF investments will assist capacity building among concerned states and organisations and foster public private partnerships between the RFMOs and the large commercial fishing fleets harvesting in the high seas and its associated supply chain. Finally, GEF investments will facilitate cooperative frameworks between the ABNJs and the Large Marine Ecosystems that they border, to improve management opportunities and cohesion between these two interdependent management frameworks.