2nd international business forum tuna pole and line hand line

1. Tuna in the Indian Ocean:
the role of IOTC in management
New Developments
RondolphPAYET
ExecutiveSecretary

2.  Established 14 years ago, it is the only RFMO
based in the IO, and the only tuna RFMO
under the FAO framework.
 Headquarters – based inVictoria, Seychelles
islands.
 31 full Member States and 2 Cooperating
States
 Most of the tuna fishing nations are members
(over 90% of the catch).
 Decisions are binding by majority rule.
What is IOTC?

3.  Promote conservation and optimum utilization of tuna stocks
 Promote sustainable development of fisheries
IOTC is one of five tuna RFMOs

4. Current Members of IOTC
 Australia
 Belize
 China
 Comoros
 Eritrea
 EC
 France
 Guinea
 Iran
 India
 Indonesia
 Japan
 Kenya
 Korea
 Madagascar
 Mauritius
 Malaysia
 Maldives
 Mozambique
 Oman
 Pakistan
 Philippines
 Seychelles
 Sierra Leone
 Sri Lanka
 Sudan
 Tanzania
 Thailand
 UK
 Vanuatu
 Yemen
Cooperating parties: South Africa and Senegal

5. The structure of IOTC
Commission
(31+2 Member States decide
on actions)
Scientific
Committee
(advise on
status)
Compliance
Committee
(advise on
enforcement)
WorkingGroups
(scientific analysis)
•TropicalTunas
•Billfish
•TemperateTunas
•Ecosystems
•DataCollection
•Methods
Secretariat
(support process at
all level from HQs
in Seychelles)
IGO and NGO

6. •Yellowfin, skipjack, bigeye, albacore tunas
and swordfish the main species.
•Neritic tunas important at a sub-regional
level.
• Virtually all the transboundary stocks of
importance in the IO.
• About 40% of catches in the high-seas.
What are the species under IOTC
mandate?

7. The fishing areas
2006 2010
Purse-
seine
Longline

8. Summary status of the major stocks
(2012)
)
Stock Status Fishing intensity Stock size Comments
YellowfinTuna 31% below 24% above Status
recovered
Skipjack tuna 19% below 20% above Catch declining
Bigeye tuna 21% below 20% above
Albacore tuna 131% above 5% above High risk-again
in 2012/13
Swordfish (all
IO)
50-40% below 7-60% above
Swordfish
(SWIO)
35% below to 20%
above
25% below to
44% above
Rebuilding
trend

9. Situation of other IOTC species
Neritic Tunas
• Essential for the economy of the IOTC coastal States
• Status still unknown for most species, but analyses are progressing in the
past two years.
Other billfish (Marlins, sailfish and spearfish)
• Not targeted by tuna-fishing vessels
• Status unknown although concern exists about apparent declines
Sharks
• A growing concern as they are target species for several fleets that also
catch tunas
• Apparent declines in oceanic whitetip and silky sharks

10. • Support for better information
gathering.
•IOTC-OFCF (Japan) eight-year
project now moving into a 4th
Phase)
• Generation of fishery-
independent information
•Successful Large-ScaleTagging
Programme (EU -COI, Japan,
China).
Better science to guide decision making:
The work of the Secretariat and the Scientific
Committee

11. •Evaluation of uncertainty in the
stock status, development of
robust management strategies.
•Incorporating ecosystem
considerations into management
decisions.
•The development Management
Strategy Evaluation for Harvest
Control Rules.
Better science to guide decision making:
The work of the Secretariat and the Scientific
Committee

12. Adoption of the Precautionary Approach
 Principles formally adopted in Res 12/01, and followed in
2013 with a resolution on interim target , limit reference
points and decision framework for the five major species.
 Commitment to a process to develop permanent
reference points and harvest control rules through a joint
work between SC and Commission (MSE).

13. • Control on fishing capacity
• Freezing on fishing capacity at 2006-2007 levels.
•Control on catch levels
•Criteria for Allocation of quota (two meetings)
•Alternative Management Measures
•Harvest Control Rules
• Combat against IUU fishing
•Port State Measures ( entered into force in March
2013).
• Others
• FADs Management plan
Main management measures

14. •Capacity for tropical tunas
•Frozen at 2006 levels
•Vessels already under construction
•Vessels under Fleet Development Plans for
developing coastal states
•Capacity for swordfish and albacore
As for tropical tunas but levels frozen at 2007
Controlling fleet sizes: the road to
management of fishing capacity

15. •Central Registry of authorised vessels
•Black listing of IUU vessels
•Control access to port facilities; deny unloading
rights; deny licenses
• Control transhipment at sea.
•Restrict access to markets to IUU products
•Prosecution of nationals engaged in IUU fishing
Improving control of IUU fishing

16. • Ban on catching and retainingThresher shark
• Ban on Catching and retention of Oceanic whitetip
(Shark)
•Setting of purse seine nets around whale sharks
•Conservations of cetaceans
•Sea birds (in longline fisheries)
•Marine turtles
•Ban on discards of bigeye, yellow fin and skipjack
tunas
Reducing impact of tuna fisheries on
Biodiversity

17. • An equally strict enforcement across IOTC members.
•A formula for equitable allocation of fishing
opportunities.
•Accurate information about the status of the
resources in the Indian Ocean and access to markets.
•The threat of piracy in the main fishing grounds.
•Management of fishing capacity
•Coastal tuna fisheries (neritic tunas) - data access for
assessment
•Socio –economic assessment of tuna fisheries
Main challenges in the near future

18. Thank you for your attention…