The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has published its position statements in advance of three
regional fisheries management organization (RFMO) meetings this fall: the International Commission for the Conservation
of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) Annual Meeting, which is being conducted by correspondence; the Inter-American Tropical Tuna
Commission (IATTC) 95th Meeting, to be held virtually November 30-December 4; and the Western and Central Pacific
Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) 17th Regular Session, to be held virtually December 8-15.
The impacts of COVID-19 have challenged RFMOs in conducting their meetings in 2020. All tuna RFMOs have had to cancel or
postpone some in-person meetings and hold others virtually or by other means.
“Despite the limitations created by the COVID-19 pandemic, ISSF believes that RFMOs have a duty to continue making
progress on the long-term sustainable use of tuna stocks,” said ISSF President Susan Jackson. “RFMOs have come a long
way in recent years — on the adoption of measures for FAD management, harvest control rules, stronger vessel monitoring
systems, and increased observer coverage and standards for electronic monitoring or reporting— but still have a long way
to go. There are significant challenges brought about by this pandemic, both in terms of decision-making and monitoring,
but they are not insurmountable, and we believe progress can and must be made to ensure the sustainable management of
global tuna stocks and marine ecosystems.”
Priority positions for each of these three RFMOs are outlined below.ISSF Recommended Priorities for ICCAT (Meeting By Correspondence)Ensure that Recommendations that are about to partially or fully expire continue to be effective throughout 2021Adopt a work plan for fish aggregating devices (FADs) with a timeframe to transition to FADs without nets and made
primarily with biodegradable materials, develop recovery policies and a marking scheme, and require FAD position data
and acoustic recordsAccelerate the adoption of harvest strategies for tropical tunasAdopt minimum standards for electronic monitoring to require 100% observer coverage (human and/or electronic) for all
major ICCAT fisheries, and all vessels engaged in at-sea transshipment, within five yearsRequest the Compliance Committee to address the existing non-compliance with FAD data reporting requirementsISSF Recommended Priorities for IATTC (Meeting November 30-December 4)In 2020, adopt a robust conservation management measure to replace the expiring resolutions that is precautionary and
based on scientific adviceRequest the Scientific Staff to provide science-based limits on FAD numbers, deployments and/or sets; and amend
resolutions in 2020 or 2021 to include clear timelines to develop FAD marking guidelines, transition to fully
non-entangling FADs and the use of biodegradable materials, FAD recovery mechanisms, and provide FAD position dataIn 2021, speed up development of management strategy evaluations (MSE) for bigeye, skipjack and yellowfinDevelop in 2021 a work plan for an electronic monitoring (EM) and e-reporting program and to establish fleet-wide
observer program (either human or electronic) for small purse -seine vessels by 2022By 2022, adopt Port State MeasuresBy 2021, establish a work plan for a scheme of responses to non-compliance and audit pointsISSF Recommended Priorities for WCPFC (Meeting December 8-15)Ensure that the existing tuna conservation measure (CMM 2018-01) does not lapseAdopt a work plan for FADs with a timeframe to transition to FADs without nets and made primarily with biodegradable
materials, develop recovery policies and a marking scheme, and require FAD position data and acoustic recordsAdopt minimum standards for the use of electronic monitoring in WCPFC fisheriesAdvance the adoption of target reference points for bigeye and yellowfin and adopt a harvest control rule for skipjackAccelerate the remaining work to reform the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), including allowing observer
participation