SFP Tuna Bycatch EU Tuna 561a0af5
Sustainable Fisheries Partnership’s Tuna Procurement Advice - Potential to Mitigate Problematic B Bycatch t h in i Longline L li and d Purse P Seine S i Tuna Fisheries
Eric Gilman European Tuna Conference, 2 May 2011 [email protected] http://bit.ly/biodiversity-fisheries-research
• International Non-Governmental Organization • Founded 2006. • Distributed structure,, 40 staff,, over 50 fisheries improvement projects in 15 countries. • $4 million annual budget, funded by US foundations and corporate sponsors sponsors.
2
SFP works with companies across seafood supply chains to establish scientifically rigorous sustainable seafood procurement policies and improve fishing practices and governance to meet these policies policies.
Advise major retailers and restaurant chains on seafood procurement policies. Form coalitions of like-minded like minded companies in Fishery and Aquaculture Improvement Projects (FIPs and AIPs). Assist suppliers and producers to improve fishing industry practices and governance to meet buyer requirements requirements. Develop information systems so retailers, buyers and suppliers can measure and manage their commitments, including tracking progress of fisheries in meeting g retailer targets. g
SFP Partners: Aldi, ASDA, Aqua Star, BJ's Wholesale, Biomar, Dansk, Espersen, Ewos, Findus, High Liner Foods, McDonald's, Multiexport, Phillips Foods, Publix, Raley's, Sainsbury, Slade Gorton, Sobey's, Tesco, Walmart, ZF America
Bycatch Responsible fisheries conduct requires the effective governance of all sources of fishing mortality – including from bycatch. Bycatch: Retained non-targeted catch + discards + unobserved mortalities (ghost fishing, fall from gear, depredation, postrelease/escapement mortality).
Why Can Bycatch be Problematic? • Affects vulnerable species groups (seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, elasmobranchs, other fish species); • Causes or contributes to overexploitation; • Reduce the availability of natural prey to high-trophic-level predators through direct removal of their prey species and trophic cascades; • Change Ch foraging f i behavior b h i & diet di off marine i species; i • Discards can cause localized anoxia; • Threaten fishing communities: Overexploitation of commercially important non-target species, including undersized individuals of target species, can adversely affect future catches, and can be an allocation issue between fisheries; • Discards are a social issue over waste.
Bycatch Problems and Solutions in Tuna Fisheries Bycatch of sea turtles, marine mammals and sharks is problematic in LL and PS fisheries. Seabird bycatch is problematic on longlines. Bycatch of juvenile tunas is a problem bl iin purse seine i fifisheries h i on FAD FADs. R Relatively l ti l llow b bycatch t h llevels l iin pole-andl d line fisheries, but baitfish fisheries that supply live bait have bycatch and other problems (overexploitation of target baitfish, introduction of alien species). Good progress developing effective gear technology to mitigate seabird & sea turtle bycatch on longlines & direct dolphin mortality in PS sets on dolphins. R&D is needed for PS bycatch of turtles, juvenile/undersized tunas, sharks and unmarketable fish; and for LL bycatch of sharks sharks, small swordfish & cetaceans cetaceans.
Process Considerations for Effective Gear Technology gy Research and other Bycatch Mitigation Interventions Fishery-specific y p assessment: E.g., g , underwater setting in Hawaii vs. Australia; Cooperative research: Industry knowledge and buy-in; Commercial viability: Limited surveillance and enforcement means effective methods will be employed only if they are safe, practical & economically viable – methods that don’t rely on crew behavior preferred; and Effects on multiple species groups: E.g., fish b it avoids bait id turtles t tl & sharks; h k night i ht setting tti avoids albatrosses but not nocturnal foragers; PS FAD sets avoid dolphins but not turtles & juvenile tunas tunas.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement Advice Three components p - comprehensive p factors affecting g ecological g sustainability. y 1. Criteria for fundamental governance and management of target stocks (consistent across seafood products and fisheries) : • • •
• • • •
Measures to estimate IUU fishing mortality levels and deter IUU fishing; Measures for sustainable exploitation of target catch and bycatch; Ecological risk assessments conducted to understand population-level effects on non-target species – including vulnerable species groups, effects of removals on ecosystem structure and g measures adopted based on ERA findings; g processes, and binding Adequate monitoring (all sources of fishing mortality are reported, adequate onboard observer coverage rates), surveillance, enforcement; Compliance with RFMO and domestic measures; Ch i f Chain-of-custody t d and d ttraceability; bilit FIP stage.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement AdviceLL Bycatch Reduction Options 2. Criteria related to best practice LL gear technology bycatch mitigation, e.g.: • • • • • • • •
Best practice combination of seabird bycatch gear technology (e.g., line weighting, night setting tori line setting, line, side setting setting, no discards during set set, no live bait bait, circle hook); Wide, circle hooks (reduce sea turtle, cetacean, seabird catch and injury); Whole dead fish (not squid) used for bait (reduce sea turtle, seabird, shark catch rates); No lightsticks (reduce sea turtle and billfish catch rates); No wire leaders (reduce shark catch rate); No lazy line; Weak hooks (minimum wire diameter) (reduce cetaceans catch rates); Handling and release best practices practices.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement AdvicePS Bycatch Reduction Options 3. Criteria related to best practice PS gear technology bycatch mitigation, e.g.: • • • • • • • • • •
Avoid encircling turtles, monitor FADs, recover FADs when not in use; Deploy crew to observe/release caught turtles; EPO – sets on dolphins, employ AIDCP measures (prohibition of night setting, use Medina dolphin safety panel, conduct backdown, deploy rescuers, etc.); Avoid encirclement of large animals (i.e., whale sharks, whales, large dolphins, manta rays). When inadvertently encircled, employ handling and release best practices; BET PS sets on anchored and drifting g FADs and on other floating g objects. j
Gilman, E. 2011. Bycatch governance and best practice mitigation technology in global tuna fisheries. Marine Policy 35: 590-609.
For more information… http://bit.ly/biodiversity-fisheries-research EricLGilman@gmail com [email protected] Visit the SFP booth P 4402 at the Seafood Expo Visit www.sustainablefish.org
Eric Gilman European Tuna Conference, 2 May 2011 [email protected] http://bit.ly/biodiversity-fisheries-research
• International Non-Governmental Organization • Founded 2006. • Distributed structure,, 40 staff,, over 50 fisheries improvement projects in 15 countries. • $4 million annual budget, funded by US foundations and corporate sponsors sponsors.
2
SFP works with companies across seafood supply chains to establish scientifically rigorous sustainable seafood procurement policies and improve fishing practices and governance to meet these policies policies.
Advise major retailers and restaurant chains on seafood procurement policies. Form coalitions of like-minded like minded companies in Fishery and Aquaculture Improvement Projects (FIPs and AIPs). Assist suppliers and producers to improve fishing industry practices and governance to meet buyer requirements requirements. Develop information systems so retailers, buyers and suppliers can measure and manage their commitments, including tracking progress of fisheries in meeting g retailer targets. g
SFP Partners: Aldi, ASDA, Aqua Star, BJ's Wholesale, Biomar, Dansk, Espersen, Ewos, Findus, High Liner Foods, McDonald's, Multiexport, Phillips Foods, Publix, Raley's, Sainsbury, Slade Gorton, Sobey's, Tesco, Walmart, ZF America
Bycatch Responsible fisheries conduct requires the effective governance of all sources of fishing mortality – including from bycatch. Bycatch: Retained non-targeted catch + discards + unobserved mortalities (ghost fishing, fall from gear, depredation, postrelease/escapement mortality).
Why Can Bycatch be Problematic? • Affects vulnerable species groups (seabirds, sea turtles, marine mammals, elasmobranchs, other fish species); • Causes or contributes to overexploitation; • Reduce the availability of natural prey to high-trophic-level predators through direct removal of their prey species and trophic cascades; • Change Ch foraging f i behavior b h i & diet di off marine i species; i • Discards can cause localized anoxia; • Threaten fishing communities: Overexploitation of commercially important non-target species, including undersized individuals of target species, can adversely affect future catches, and can be an allocation issue between fisheries; • Discards are a social issue over waste.
Bycatch Problems and Solutions in Tuna Fisheries Bycatch of sea turtles, marine mammals and sharks is problematic in LL and PS fisheries. Seabird bycatch is problematic on longlines. Bycatch of juvenile tunas is a problem bl iin purse seine i fifisheries h i on FAD FADs. R Relatively l ti l llow b bycatch t h llevels l iin pole-andl d line fisheries, but baitfish fisheries that supply live bait have bycatch and other problems (overexploitation of target baitfish, introduction of alien species). Good progress developing effective gear technology to mitigate seabird & sea turtle bycatch on longlines & direct dolphin mortality in PS sets on dolphins. R&D is needed for PS bycatch of turtles, juvenile/undersized tunas, sharks and unmarketable fish; and for LL bycatch of sharks sharks, small swordfish & cetaceans cetaceans.
Process Considerations for Effective Gear Technology gy Research and other Bycatch Mitigation Interventions Fishery-specific y p assessment: E.g., g , underwater setting in Hawaii vs. Australia; Cooperative research: Industry knowledge and buy-in; Commercial viability: Limited surveillance and enforcement means effective methods will be employed only if they are safe, practical & economically viable – methods that don’t rely on crew behavior preferred; and Effects on multiple species groups: E.g., fish b it avoids bait id turtles t tl & sharks; h k night i ht setting tti avoids albatrosses but not nocturnal foragers; PS FAD sets avoid dolphins but not turtles & juvenile tunas tunas.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement Advice Three components p - comprehensive p factors affecting g ecological g sustainability. y 1. Criteria for fundamental governance and management of target stocks (consistent across seafood products and fisheries) : • • •
• • • •
Measures to estimate IUU fishing mortality levels and deter IUU fishing; Measures for sustainable exploitation of target catch and bycatch; Ecological risk assessments conducted to understand population-level effects on non-target species – including vulnerable species groups, effects of removals on ecosystem structure and g measures adopted based on ERA findings; g processes, and binding Adequate monitoring (all sources of fishing mortality are reported, adequate onboard observer coverage rates), surveillance, enforcement; Compliance with RFMO and domestic measures; Ch i f Chain-of-custody t d and d ttraceability; bilit FIP stage.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement AdviceLL Bycatch Reduction Options 2. Criteria related to best practice LL gear technology bycatch mitigation, e.g.: • • • • • • • •
Best practice combination of seabird bycatch gear technology (e.g., line weighting, night setting tori line setting, line, side setting setting, no discards during set set, no live bait bait, circle hook); Wide, circle hooks (reduce sea turtle, cetacean, seabird catch and injury); Whole dead fish (not squid) used for bait (reduce sea turtle, seabird, shark catch rates); No lightsticks (reduce sea turtle and billfish catch rates); No wire leaders (reduce shark catch rate); No lazy line; Weak hooks (minimum wire diameter) (reduce cetaceans catch rates); Handling and release best practices practices.
SFP’s Tuna Procurement AdvicePS Bycatch Reduction Options 3. Criteria related to best practice PS gear technology bycatch mitigation, e.g.: • • • • • • • • • •
Avoid encircling turtles, monitor FADs, recover FADs when not in use; Deploy crew to observe/release caught turtles; EPO – sets on dolphins, employ AIDCP measures (prohibition of night setting, use Medina dolphin safety panel, conduct backdown, deploy rescuers, etc.); Avoid encirclement of large animals (i.e., whale sharks, whales, large dolphins, manta rays). When inadvertently encircled, employ handling and release best practices; BET PS sets on anchored and drifting g FADs and on other floating g objects. j
Gilman, E. 2011. Bycatch governance and best practice mitigation technology in global tuna fisheries. Marine Policy 35: 590-609.
For more information… http://bit.ly/biodiversity-fisheries-research EricLGilman@gmail com [email protected] Visit the SFP booth P 4402 at the Seafood Expo Visit www.sustainablefish.org
