IOTC ENDS WITH WORLD-LEADING ELECTRONIC MONITORING STANDARDS

IOTC ends with world-leading electronic monitoring standards, but continued failure on yellowfin and skipjack tuna management. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), a regional fisheries management organisation responsible for the governance of commercially significant tuna species worth US$8.6 billion each year, concluded its annual meeting with positive news on fisheries management reform and bigeye tuna, but little progress or compromise to get catch for yellowfin and skipjack under control.

Glen Holmes, a senior officer for The Pew Charitable Trusts’ international fisheries programme who attended the meeting, said the following:

“The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) took some significant, world-leading actions today towards stronger, more comprehensive management of fishing activities, even while struggling to adopt science-based catch limits for yellowfin or skipjack tuna. Specifically, its new electronic monitoring standards are a global first and are a welcome development for high seas fisheries. They will expand much needed monitoring and increase data collection on fisheries that operate far from the reach of land-based enforcement officers and scientists. These standards set a new precedent that should be mirrored in other oceans.

“Similarly, by adopting a measure to revise its compliance system, IOTC has improved its compliance functionality and, most significantly, created ways to better respond to violations. IOTC’s compliance regime now brings it in line with other similar management bodies and signals a global shift towards improving fisheries governance.

“IOTC also took positive steps to reign in bigeye catches in line with the management procedure agreed to last year, while equitably balancing developing state interests.

“Unfortunately, all this progress may be overshadowed by IOTC’s failure, yet again, to reach a compromise to get management of yellowfin and skipjack tuna under control. Yellowfin has been overfished for nearly a decade, and the continued lack of agreed action is extremely concerning. Skipjack tuna, which is experiencing overfishing, has also been caught in protracted disagreements around who should be able to catch how much for many years, and the further delays in effective management will continue to make the situation worse for both stocks. IOTC must commit to adopting and fully implementing management procedures for yellowfin and skipjack without delay to end the ongoing overfishing.

“The challenge of reaching a compromise on priority issues was also evident on drifting fish aggregating devices, as there was no new agreement on management of these widely used fishing devices, continuing the rift amongst IOTC members resulting from a special meeting held earlier in the year.

“Despite some positive steps, which should be applauded, this meeting was a missed opportunity to address many of the major, ongoing problems facing Indian Ocean tuna fisheries.”

Photo credit: IOTC