Bycatch Mitigation

Bycatch is defined as discarded catch of any living marine resource plus retained incidental catch and unobserved mortality due to a direct encounter with a fishing gear.

Source: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) U.S.

Goals

The undersigned organizations strongly agree that efforts to reduce, mitigate and eliminate bycatch in global tuna fisheries is inadequate, and that bycatch issues must be more effectively addressed if these fisheries are to be considered sustainable and responsible.

Further, we expect tuna RFMOs and industry to work constructively to address bycatch issues.

What follows is a set of expectations that must be addressed without delay by both RFMOs and industry alike to ensure global tuna fisheries and their ecosystems – including issues of bycatch – are sustainably and responsibly managed.

Our Collaborative Position

Effective avoidance and mitigation of bycatch is a critical component of sustainable tuna fisheries.

A tuna fishery cannot claim to be sustainable and responsible if effective measures are not in place to avoid causing unsustainable impacts upon non-target and/or ETP species and measures to safely release bycatch are not sufficiently effective to minimize mortality of a species. Further, management approaches must be both precautionary and ecosystem based.

Unfortunately, bycatch issues are under-addressed across global tuna fisheries and more must be done to reduce, mitigate and eliminate bycatch through the development and implementation of, and compliance with, management measures, as well as greater data collection, data reporting, and data sharing for purposes of management, science, and compliance.

We can no longer afford to insufficiently address the impacts of bycatch in tuna fisheries upon non-target and/or ETP species – these impacts must be prioritized, and RFMOs, fleet, and markets must take proactive action to address these issues.

In support of our collaborative position, we expect:

Adoption, implementation of, and compliance with best available policies and approaches to effectively reduce bycatch of non-target and/or ETP species.
Improved bycatch data collection and reporting for purposes of science, compliance, and accountability.
Adequate monitoring of all tuna vessels.
Implementation of policies and systems to facilitate improved compliance and accountability.
Public access to information, with limited restrictions only when necessary.

View RFMO Expectations

View Market and Supply Chain Partner Expectations

View RFMO/Market Integrated Expectations

RFMO Expectations

Empty

Adoption, Implementation of, and Compliance with Best Available Policies and Approaches to Effectively Reduce Bycatch of Non-Target and/or ETP Species

Implementation of Best Practices

Implement precautionary, science-based regulations, best practices and guidelines for avoidance, handling, release and, where appropriate, science-based catch or retention limits, for all tuna fishing fleets to proactively minimize their impacts upon all non-target and non-retained bycatch species.

Fins Naturally Attached

Require that all sharks are landed with fins-naturally-attached without exceptions.

Fishing Gear

Improve selectivity of existing gear design and introduce or improve measures to avoid gear loss and its impacts.

Where damage from existing gear designs and/or gear loss cannot be sufficiently mitigated, adopt additional solutions, which could include conversions to lower impact fishing gears.

Improved Bycatch Data Collection and Reporting for Purposes of Science, Compliance and Accountability

Collection and Reporting

Establish comprehensive electronic reporting systems and monitoring programs with sufficient capacity to implement.

Require that logbooks, transshipment and landing declarations (if bycatch is retained), and observer reports are submitted to the proper authorities in a timely manner.

Improve the collection and reporting all necessary data by flag and coastal states; enhance RFMO data requirements to ensure timely and quality data for scientific, management and/or compliance purposes.

Adequate Monitoring of All Tuna Vessels

Catch Data

Require all vessels that target tuna record the amount and species of catch, bycatch, discards, and effort.

Support the collection of independent data on catch, bycatch, and effort through use of dockside-monitoring, sale receipts, remote detection technologies.

Vessel Monitoring

Require industrial tuna vessels to be fully monitored by human observers and/or electronic monitoring; and implement methods to adequately monitor all other vessels.

Require all industrial tuna vessels to have a VMS system onboard, with VMS position data provided to the relevant RFMO in near-real time.

Implementation of Policies and Systems that Facilitate Compliance and Accountability

Verification of Implementation

Require verification/validation of implementation of RFMO measures through compliance mechanisms and use a variety of monitoring, control, and surveillance tools to verify self-reported data and to monitor compliance.

Compliance Procedures

Adopt and implement clear and transparent policies and procedures for addressing non-compliance, including predefined consequences that include capacity assistance and/or penalties that are enforced and publicly reported.

Public Access to Information, with Limited Restrictions Only When Necessary

Access

Provide timely public access to reported data, with only limited restrictions to meet legal and safety commitments.

Policy

Develop policies and procedures to ensure the RFMO, government fisheries managers, and fisheries scientists, have timely access to data for the purposes of science, research, management, and compliance.

Market and Supply Chain Partner Expectations

Empty

Adoption, Implementation of, and Compliance with Best Available Policies and Approaches to Effectively Reduce Bycatch of Non-Target and/or ETP Species

Implementation of Best Practices

Require suppliers to verifiably implement best practices for bycatch avoidance, mitigation, and safe release, and to comply fully with RFMO bycatch measures, including data collection and reporting requirements.

Implement and publish clear policies and commitments to reduce, mitigate and where possible eliminate the bycatch of non-target and/or ETP species in their supply chains.

Transparently report on progress to implement these policies and commitments.

Fins Naturally Attached

Adopt supplier requirements that all fisheries interacting with sharks either as a target or as a bycatch species must have verifiable fins-naturally-attached regulations in place – without exceptions.

Fishing Gear

Where bycatch issues cannot be sufficiently mitigated, consider additional solutions, which could include conversions to lower-impact fishing gears.

Improved Bycatch Data Collection and Reporting for Purposes of Science, Compliance and Accountability

Collection and Reporting

Have traceability mechanisms and transparent policies in place to verify availability of harvest and supply chain data (if bycatch is retained).

Require that data collected and reported from your supply chains is in full compliance with all required RFMO conservation measures and reporting obligations.

Adequate Monitoring of All Tuna Vessels

Catch Data

Require your supply chain to collect data on catch, bycatch, discards and effort in the logbooks, and transshipment and landing declarations.

Support the collection of independent data on catch, bycatch, and effort through use of dockside-monitoring, sale receipts, remote detection technologies.

Vessel Monitoring

Advocate to RFMOs and national governments to implement 100% observer coverage in industrial tuna fisheries, and adequate levels of monitoring in all other tuna fisheries through electronic and human observation.

Ultimately require 100% observer coverage – through electronic and human observation – in your tuna supply chains, MSC-certified fisheries, and FIPs.

Advocate to RFMOs to require VMS systems onboard all industrial tuna vessels, and that VMS position data is provided to the relevant RFMO in near-real time.

Implementation of Policies and Systems that Facilitate Compliance and Accountability

Verification of Implementation

Advocate for verification/validation of implementation of RFMO measures through compliance mechanisms and use a variety of monitoring, control, and surveillance tools to verify self-reported data and to monitor compliance.

Compliance Procedures

Advocate for the adoption and implementation clear and transparent policies and procedures for addressing non-compliance, including predefined consequences that include capacity assistance and/or penalties that are enforced and publicly reported.

Public Access to Information, with Limited Restrictions Only When Necessary

Access

Make publicly accessible key sourcing and catch information, such as identity and type of vessel sourced from, catch certification information, fishery/product information, bycatch information, and transshipment events if any.

Advocate to RFMOs to provide public access to reported data, with only limited restrictions to meet legal and safety commitments.

Policy

Publish your organization’s sustainability commitments and supplier expectations and make public verified information that your commitments and supplier expectations are being met.

RFMO/Market Integrated Expectations

Test

Adoption, Implementation of, and Compliance with Best Available Policies and Approaches to Effectively Reduce Bycatch of Non-Target and/or ETP Species

We Expect RFMOs to:	We Expect Markets, Supply Chain Partners to:
Implementation of Best Practices
Implement precautionary, science-based regulations, best practices and guidelines for avoidance, handling, release and, where appropriate, science-based catch or retention limits, for all tuna fishing fleets to proactively minimize their impacts upon all non-target and non-retained bycatch species.	Require suppliers to verifiably implement best practices for bycatch avoidance, mitigation, and safe release, and to comply fully with RFMO bycatch measures, including data collection and reporting requirements.
	Implement and publish clear policies and commitments to reduce, mitigate and where possible eliminate the bycatch of non-target and/or ETP species in their supply chains.
	Transparently report on progress to implement these policies and commitments.
Fins Naturally Attached
Require that all sharks are landed with fins-naturally-attached without exceptions.	Adopt supplier requirements that all fisheries interacting with sharks either as a target or as a bycatch species must have verifiable fins-naturally-attached regulations in place – without exceptions.
Fishing Gear
Improve selectivity of existing gear design and introduce or improve measures to avoid gear loss and its impacts.
Where damage from existing gear designs and/or gear loss cannot be sufficiently mitigated, adopt additional solutions, which could include conversions to lower impact fishing gears.	Where bycatch issues cannot be sufficiently mitigated, consider additional solutions, which could include conversions to lower-impact fishing gears.

Improved Bycatch Data Collection and Reporting for Purposes of Science, Compliance and Accountability

We Expect RFMOs to:	We Expect Markets, Supply Chain Partners to:
Collection and Reporting
Establish comprehensive electronic reporting systems and monitoring programs with sufficient capacity to implement.	Have traceability mechanisms and transparent policies in place to verify availability of harvest and supply chain data (if bycatch is retained).
Require that logbooks, transshipment and landing declarations (if bycatch is retained), and observer reports are submitted to the proper authorities in a timely manner.
Improve the collection and reporting all necessary data by flag and coastal states; enhance RFMO data requirements to ensure timely and quality data for scientific, management and/or compliance purposes.	Require that data collected and reported from your supply chains is in full compliance with all required RFMO conservation measures and reporting obligations.

Adequate Monitoring of All Tuna Vessels

We Expect RFMOs to:	We Expect Markets, Supply Chain Partners to:
Catch Data
Require all vessels that target tuna record the amount and species of catch, bycatch, discards, and effort.	Require your supply chain to collect data on catch, bycatch, discards and effort in the logbooks, and transshipment and landing declarations.
Support the collection of independent data on catch, bycatch, and effort through use of dockside-monitoring, sale receipts, remote detection technologies.	Support the collection of independent data on catch, bycatch, and effort through use of dockside-monitoring, sale receipts, remote detection technologies.
Vessel Monitoring
Require industrial tuna vessels to be fully monitored by human observers and/or electronic monitoring; and implement methods to adequately monitor all other vessels.	Advocate to RFMOs and national governments to implement 100% observer coverage in industrial tuna fisheries, and adequate levels of monitoring in all other tuna fisheries through electronic and human observation.
	Ultimately require 100% observer coverage – through electronic and human observation – in your tuna supply chains, MSC-certified fisheries, and FIPs.
Require all industrial tuna vessels to have a VMS system onboard, with VMS position data provided to the relevant RFMO in near-real time.	Advocate to RFMOs to require VMS systems onboard all industrial tuna vessels, and that VMS position data is provided to the relevant RFMO in near-real time.

Implementation of Policies and Systems that Facilitate Compliance and Accountability

We Expect RFMOs to:	We Expect Markets, Supply Chain Partners to:
Verification of Implementation
Require verification/validation of implementation of RFMO measures through compliance mechanisms and use a variety of monitoring, control, and surveillance tools to verify self-reported data and to monitor compliance.	Advocate for verification/validation of implementation of RFMO measures through compliance mechanisms and use a variety of monitoring, control, and surveillance tools to verify self-reported data and to monitor compliance.
Compliance Procedures
Adopt and implement clear and transparent policies and procedures for addressing non-compliance, including predefined consequences that include capacity assistance and/or penalties that are enforced and publicly reported.	Advocate for the adoption and implementation clear and transparent policies and procedures for addressing non-compliance, including predefined consequences that include capacity assistance and/or penalties that are enforced and publicly reported.

Public Access to Information, with Limited Restrictions Only When Necessary

We Expect RFMOs to:	We Expect Markets, Supply Chain Partners to:
Access
Provide timely public access to reported data, with only limited restrictions to meet legal and safety commitments.	Make publicly accessible key sourcing and catch information, such as identity and type of vessel sourced from, catch certification information, fishery/product information, bycatch information, and transshipment events if any.
	Advocate to RFMOs to provide public access to reported data, with only limited restrictions to meet legal and safety commitments.
Policy
Develop policies and procedures to ensure the RFMO, government fisheries managers, and fisheries scientists, have timely access to data for the purposes of science, research, management, and compliance.	Publish your organization’s sustainability commitments and supplier expectations and make public verified information that your commitments and supplier expectations are being met.