Tag: purse seine

Rays to be released while still in the water: postcard from WCPFC16

Categories The tuna picturePosted on

Tuna fishers will have to do everything they can to save rays, including the magnificent manta ray, that are unintentionally caught during fishing operations.

Several species of mobulid rays, which include the mantas, are perilously close to extinction. One of the reasons for this is the numbers that die when they become part of the tuna catch. 

The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) hopes to reverse the trend to extinction. At its 16th annual meeting, delegates agreed on tougher rules aimed at helping rays survive industrial fishing operations. (Wildlife caught accidentally during fishing is known collectively as bycatch.)

Following a period to allow fishing operators to prepare to comply with the rule, purse-seine fishers will be required to release any rays caught in their fishing gear while they are still swimming freely. Purse-seine and longline operators will also be banned from dragging or lifting rays by their cephalic lobes, the flaps that they use to direct water and food into their mouths.

New protection for threatened manta and mobula rays in Pacific waters

Categories @WCPFC16, FFA Media Fellows Past Events, News, NewsPosted on

PORT MORESBY – The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) took a major step in helping to protect “threatened” manta and other mobula rays on the final day of its annual meeting on Wednesday.

It adopted a resolution that requires fishers to immediately release any manta rays caught accidentally as “bycatch”.

An international fisheries officer of Pew Charitable Trusts, Glen Holmes, said the increased protection was one of the positive outcomes of the WCPFC meeting, which was held in Port Moresby.

Mr Holmes said the action is considered a “big win” from the commission meeting. 

“WCPFC agreed to increase protections for threatened manta and mobula rays by banning purse-seine and longline vessels from keeping any caught in their nets and hooks. This is a positive step and helps remove the incentive for fishers to capture and keep these imperilled species,” Mr Holmes said.

Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) members were the proponents of the proposal for a new measure to prevent targeted fishing and retention of mobulid rays, and to promote their safe release, when they are caught in WCPFC convention area fisheries.

FFA Director-General Dr Manu Tupou-Roosen said that the protection of rays is one of the “excellent” outcomes of the WCPFC meeting. 

Pew said six species of manta and mobula rays are vulnerable to overfishing. The species in peril are listed to appendix 2 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and appendixes 1 and 2 of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

To many island nations such as Palau and FSM, manta-ray watching is a big tourism draw. There is also global plea to protect rays, which not only get tangled in nets and fishing lines but are also targeted for their meat and gill plates.

Under the measure, purse seiners are required to release rays while they are still swimming freely, with rays that are too large to be lifted safely by hand to be brailed out of the net and released using a purpose-built large-mesh cargo net, or canvas sling or similar device.

Purse seiners and longliners are also banned from dragging, carrying, lifting or pulling a ray by its “cephalic lobes” or tail or by inserting hooks or hands.

Bubba Cook, the head of WWF’s delegation to the WCPFC16, said WWF was happy to see that the manta rays measure move forward.

Pacific countries gather to plan for the future of oceanic fisheries management

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HONIARA, 24 October 2019 – The 14 member states of the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP2) gathered on Tuesday to plan for the final year of the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) initiative. During the 7th Global Environment Facility (GEF) Steering Committee meeting, participants reflected on project’s achievements during the year and made plans for the future.

FFA representatives talked final targets for the OFMP2 project before it wraps up in 2020. Next year, the project will focus on limits and allocations for tropical tuna on purse seine and longline vessels, longline electronic monitoring, and transhipment review. 

Solomon Islands crew quantifying transhipments from a Taiwanese longliner. Photo: Francisco Blaha.

Project Manager, Hugh Walton said one of the main concerns for the next phase of the project was high seas management.

“Deep Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs), particularly China and Taiwan, want to retain that right for the high seas transhipment.

“They have to be able to prove economic disadvantage […] it’s not documented, and it’s not tested, so it’s a huge loophole and we’re trying to close it.”

The Parties to the Nauru Agreement Office CEO, Ludwig Kumoru, also emphasised that the project could only move forward with long-term high seas allocations in place. Current allocations ensure that available resources are equitably distributed between fisheries who target the same species outside country Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs).

Mere Lakeba, Director of Fisheries, Fiji said that catering to countries’ individual needs was important moving forward. Hugh Walton, OFMPII coordinator said that this would be a priority.

“In preparing the last proposal, the OMFP sent consultants to each country and produced a template of situational analyses of what was going on in each country to identify national priorities.

“There is no one size fits all, and we would not aspire to a one size fits all approach,” Walton said.

Walton also spoke of project successes including the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and the resulting Strategic Action Programme (SAP) produced by Professor David Vousden of Rhodes University.

The TDA and SAP have shed light on the current challenges for the management of Pacific EEZs, and presented Pacific countries with the steps that can be taken to mitigate the issues.

The report put root causes of current fisheries issues down to a lack of high seas compliance, climate change impacts, and pollution from coastal and inland activities.

It also notes a positive: migratory tuna stocks are currently at sustainable levels due to the management and efforts of Pacific fisheries over the last 20 years.

All 14 member states have sent letters of endorsement for the Project Implementation Form (PIF). The PIF was submitted to the GEF on October 11, and outlines plans for continuing OFMP2 activities. A detailed proposal for the next phase of the project is planned for June 2020.

Three-month ban on use and servicing of FADs from 20°N to 20°S begins on 1 July

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Republished from the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission

Federated States of Micronesia, Pohnpei

Deadline: 1 Jul 2019 to 1 Oct 2019

A three-month prohibition on deploying, servicing or setting on FADs shall be in place between 0001 hours UTC on 1 July and 2359 hours UTC on 30 September each year for all purse seine vessels, tender vessels, and any other vessels operating in support of purse seine vessels fishing in exclusive economic zones and the high seas in the area between 20N and 20S.*

*Members of the PNA may implement the FAD set management measures consistent with the Third Arrangement Implementing the Nauru Agreement of May 2008. Members of the PNA shall provide notification to the Commission of the domestic vessels to which the FAD closure will not apply. That notification shall be provided within 15 days of the arrangement being approved.

PNA member countries will now have access to Tokelau’s waters

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Photo: Francisco Blaha.

Tokelau and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) member countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at last week’s meeting of PNA Ministers in Palau that allows the South Pacific territory to join the FSM Arrangement(FSMA), an agreement which allows parties domestic vessels who are licensed under the arrangement,  to access the fishing resources of other parties.

Tokelau is the latest participants, joining other signatories (Federated States of Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau,  Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands).

Under the MOU, a framework for the participation of Tokelau in the FSMA will be established. The arrangement also enables holders of Regional Access Licenses under the FSMA to fish in Tokelau’s exclusive economic zone and it also ensures license holders fishing in Tokelau fisheries waters complies with applicable national laws of Tokelau.

Tokelau will allow all purse seine vessels licensed to fish in the Arrangement Area under the FSMA to access its exclusive economic zone.

As a participant to the FSMA, Tokelau may participate in the Annual Meeting and any Special Meeting of the Parties to the FSMA and may participate in the decision making but Tokelau will have no voting right in the process.

 The arrangement will take effect on July 1, 2019.

PNA CEO Ludwig Komoru said the signing of the MOU with Tokelau is a “very important step” which means in that the countries in the FSMA arrangement can now go to Tokelau waters to fish.” Giving both Tokelau and PNA countries “extra area to fish and extra revenues, so it’s a win-win.”

Tokelau is made up of three small coral atolls – Atafu, Fakaofo and Nukunonu.

Tokelau has an  EEZ covering 318,990 square kilometers.

Tokelau does not have a commercial fishing fleet however, it has a large artisanal fleet of about 50 – 60 small 12’ to 16’ ft. motorized aluminum boats.

In 2012, Tokelau joined the PNA’s vessel day scheme, the country’s main industry is fishing.

On May 29-30, 2019, Fisheries Ministers from PNA convened in  Koror, Palau for their 14th annual meeting.

During the meeting, fisheries ministers also considered several important issues at this meeting, such as the PNA Office budget, PNA’s Strategic Plan, the 2020 Party Allowable Effort (PAE), an independent Chair for the PNA Compliance Committee, the purchase of Fisheries Information Management System (FIMS) from Quick Access, high seas bunkering, Vanuatu’s request to join PNA’s Longline (LL) Vessel Day Scheme (VDS),  

Tokelau is also a participant at these meetings as a party to the Palau Arrangement (PA), which is the management arrangement for the purse seine fishery.  

FFA launches fact sheets on tuna fishing basics

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The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has published two fact sheets that define basic aspects of tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean.

One is on the four tuna species that are most important to Pacific Island economies. The fact sheet shows how to tell apart adult albacore, bigeye, skipjack, and yellowfin tuna. That’s easier than distinguishing the young, which look similar to each other.

The fact sheet also gives basic details about the life cycle of the four tuna, and outlines the main markets for each type of tuna.

The second fact sheet distinguishes the main features of purse-seine and longline fishing. These are the two most important industrial fishing methods in this part of the Pacific Ocean. 

It also describes simply how fish are caught using these methods.

Covers of two FFA fact sheets on four kinds of tuna, and on purse seine and longline fishing. Published May 2019.

Purse seine tuna fishery supplying FCF Taiwan achieves MSC status

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Republished from Undercurrent News, 22 June 2018

Photo: Greenpeace

A Taiwanese purse seiner hauls its catch in the western Pacific. Photo: GreenpeaceA purse seine tuna fishery in the western and central Pacific shared by the US, China and Taiwan — and supplying tuna company FCF Fishery of Taiwan — has achieved Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification.

The South Pacific Tuna Corporation (SPTC), in conjunction with FCF and the Western Pacific Sustainable Tuna Alliance, announced the central Pacific skipjack and yellowfin free-school purse seine fishery had achieved and received the MSC standard on June 22.

The fishery is operated by US, China, and Taiwan-flagged vessels. Authorized vessels principally fish for skipjack and yellowfin tuna within the exclusive economic zones of countries that are Parties to the Nauru Agreement, as well as the high seas.

“This certification is an important step we have worked diligently towards to meet the standards of MSC. We are proud to be the leader in driving sustainable practices, as well as establishing a standard that exceeds that of the NGO community,” said Ray Clarke, vice president of environmental development and government affairs at SPTC.

According to Clarke, the companies will now provide in excess of 100,000 metric tons of MSC-certified tuna to the global market.

The certification comes amid Greenpeace allegations of labor abuses on tuna vessels supplying FCF Taiwan. However, Taiwanese fishing authorities have said the allegations refer to old cases, while industry sources have also queried the connection with FCF.

Cooks govt wins court case over EU fish deal

Categories NewsPosted on

 Republished from Radio New Zealand, 22 December 2017

Cook Island workers handling a yellow fin tuna that was off-loaded from a fishing ship into a shipping container in Avarua on Rarotonga.
Yellow Fin tuna in the Cook Islands. Photo: Marty Melville / AFP

The Aronga Mana of Te Au O Tonga, or the village chiefs, along with Te Ipukarea Society claimed the government’s deal with the EU lacked a full environmental impact report and was not consulted on widely enough.

In her decision, Justice Potter did question the absence of scientific information on the number of fishing days allowed, the effectiveness of a short term ban on fish aggregating devices and what she called soft catch limits, but ultimately ruled in the government’s favour.

The secretary of Marine Resources, Ben Ponia, says the judgment will serve as a landmark case for both the Cook Islands Constitution and customary law governing fisheries.

He says it was a highly technical and complex case but he believes the judge saw that government’s efforts to develop offshore fisheries were credible and legitimate.

Te Ipukarea Society president, Ian Karika, says they are disappointed but heartened that Justice Potter highlighted concerns over the deal.

Decision to increase bigeye tuna catch limit criticised

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Republished from SciDev.Net, 12 December 2017

Member countries and territories of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) have agreed to adopt measures to conserve stocks of tropical tuna even as conservation groups criticised the decision to increase the catch limit of bigeye tuna.According to consensus reached at the 14th regular session of the commission which concluded on 8 December in Manila, the “bridging measures”, such as regulating and monitoring the use of fish aggregating device (FAD) and long lines of baited hooks, will be in place for three years while WCPFC members prepare a comprehensive tuna harvest strategy covering catch limits and spawn stocks.“Conservation and management measures shall ensure, at a minimum, that stocks are maintained at levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield, pending agreement on target reference points as part of the harvest strategy approach,” said the draft agreement (7 December).

The 26-member WCPFC, the governing body for international agreement on migratory fish in the Pacific, are composed mostly of small island states in the Pacific but also include developed countries such as Australia, Canada, Japan and the United States.

The WCPFC said the use of FADs will be prohibited for three months in the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) and two months in the high seas. Exempted are Kiribati-flagged vessels operating in the high seas adjacent to Kiribati’s EEZ and Philippine vessels fishing in corresponding situations.

Decision to increase bigeye tuna catch limit criticised
A bigeye tuna catch. Copyright: Panos

FADs are semi-permanent floating structure made from any materials used to lure fish such as tuna. But FADs end up trapping other marine animals like sharks, sea turtles and dolphins, and also catch young tuna, precluding them from breeding.

Conservation and public interest groups welcomed the measures, but were critical of the commission’s decision to increase the catch limit of bigeye tuna by nearly 10 per cent. Critics have pointed out that the Commission misinterpreted the Scientific Committee’s report in August as suggesting that the bigeye is not overfished.

Holly Koehler, vice-president, International Seafood Sustainability Foundation, Washington, explains the scientific committee of the WCPFC had referred to uncertainty in the bigeye stock status and recommended to maintain the current level so as not to decrease biomass.

“That’s why we asked that fishing mortality on bigeye and yellowfin tuna stocks not increase from current levels to maintain current or increased spawning levels until the commission can agree on appropriate target reference points,” Koehler tells SciDev.Net.

Amanda Nickson, a director at Pew Charitable Trusts, says raising the catch limit will weigh on the bigeye’s biomass. “Commission members should ensure negotiations start immediately toward a stronger measure next year, to ensure precautionary, science-based management of its fisheries,” she says.

The western and central Pacific Ocean accounted for nearly 60 per cent of the global tuna catch in 2016, worth over US$ five billion.