Post on 11-Jan-2016
description
The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission
Understanding the IOTC Process
IOTC Secretariat
Mauritius, 18-20 March 2014Compliance Workshop: Collection and reporting of Fisheries data to IOTC
Sponsored by BOBLME-IOC-SmartFish-IOTC
What is IOTC
IOTC is one of five tuna-Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMO)
IOTC = Member countries
IOTC, a joint decision-making mechanism with actions taken at the individual country level
One of Five
CCSBT: Commission for the Conservation of Southern-Bluefin Tuna IATTC: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission ICCAT: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic
Tunas IOTC: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission WCPFC: Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
SOURCE: http://www.pewenvironment.org/news-room/other-resources/map-tuna-regional-fisheries-management-organizations-85899361310
The formation of IOTC
1968: A IO Tuna Committee is established as part of the Indian Ocean Fishery Commission (an FAO body): Review stock status Determine areas for future management Recommend measures
1980: Indo-Pacific Tuna Programme (IPTP) Technical support Establishment of a database of tuna fisheries in the IO (since 1970) Coordinated research (first tagging programmes) Prepared the groundwork for an RFMO
1986-1988 : Intergovernmental consultation France, Japan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand To prepare recommendations for a management arrangement
1993: The Agreement to establish IOTC is approved by the FAO Council (under Article XIV) Membership open to UN Members: Taiwan Province of China cannot join
IOTC Member and Cooperating Parties
Australia
Belize
China
Comoros Eritrea European Union
France Guinea Iran, Isl. Rep.
India Indonesia
Japan
Kenya Korea, Rep. Madagascar Maldives Malaysia Mauritius Mozambique Oman Pakistan Philippines Seychelles Sierra Leone Sri Lanka
SOURCE EEZ shape file: http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#eez
Sudan Tanzania Thailand United
Kingdom
Vanuatu Yemen
Cooperating parties: South AfricaSenegal
At present 31 Members plus 2 Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties
The IOTC Secretariat
Secretariat established in Seychelles in 1998 Facilitates the exchange of information between
Members Compiles, reviews, safe-keep, and disseminate
information, as agreed by IOTC CPCs Facilitates the scientific process
Provides information on fisheries and catch trends Coordination of research (e.g. Indian Ocean Tuna Tagging
Programme) Data analysis, in particular assessments of IOTC stocks
and impact of IOTC fisheries on other marine fauna (bycatch) and the ecosystem at large
Meeting organization and support Capacity building activities:
Science: IOTC-OFCF Project, COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, SWIOF
Compliance: COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, GEF-ABNJ
The MandateBiological & Economic
Promote conservation and optimum utilization of tuna stocks (Article V.1 IOTC Agreement) 16 IOTC species of tuna and
tuna-like
At present 16 stocks (??)
In the IOTC Area or any adjacent area IOTC stocks extend to
Highly migratory species
Highly Migratory: Tagging
Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna
Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna
Tuna movements: Tag recoveries of tunas that moved 1500 nautical miles or more from the point of release (considering movement in a straight line) Top: Indian Ocean Regional Tuna Tagging Project (off TANZANIA &
off OMAN) Bottom: Small scale tagging in the MALDIVES
The MandateBiological & Economic
Promote sustainable development of fisheries based on those stocks (Article V.1 IOTC Agreement) Include all fisheries that catch IOTC-
species (both directed at IOTC species or catching IOTC species as bycatch)
Assess effects of the fisheries on the ecosystem (e.g. incidental catches of other species such as sharks)
All coastal countries in the Indian Ocean plus some Distant-water fishing nations have fisheries for tunas
Trolling
Pole-and-line
Longline
Purse seine
Gillnet
Or any other catching IOTC species
MAIN
SPECIES
Group SpeciesTropical tunas Yellowfin tuna
Bigeye tuna
Skipjack tuna
Temperate tunas
Albacore
Southern bluefin tuna (CCSBT)
Bilfish Swordfish
Black marlin
Blue marlin
Striped marlin
Indo-Pacific sailfish
Neritic tunas Longtail tuna
Frigate tuna
Bullet tuna
Kawakawa
Seerfish Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel
Indo-Pacific king mackerel
OTHER
SPECIES
Species
Sharks and raysHighly migratory species of sharks (e.g. blue, makos, oc. whitetip, silky, thresher, porbeagle) and rays (e.g. manta rays, pelagic stingrays)
Marine turtlesGreen, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, olive ridley, flatback
SeabirdsSeveral species of albatross, petrels and shearwaters
Marine mammalsSeveral species of toothed and baleen whales
Other finfishOther tuna species and other non- targeted, associated and dependent species
The Process
The three-stage structure of the process
The first step in the IOTC process: How is the scientific advice generated? Methods and models Data used Diagnostics and projections Situation of the major IOTC stocks
The second step: the decision making process How is the scientific advice used to generate conservation and
management measures?
The third step: National implementation and compliance What needs to be done at the national level after a decision is
adopted?
The structure of IOTC
Scientific Committee(advise on
status)
Scientific Committee(advise on
status)
Compliance Committee(advise on
enforcement)
Compliance Committee(advise on
enforcement)
Working Groups (scientific analysis)
•Tropical Tunas•Billfish•Temperate Tunas•Ecosystems & Bycatch•Data Collection and Stats•Neritic tunas
Working Groups (scientific analysis)
•Tropical Tunas•Billfish•Temperate Tunas•Ecosystems & Bycatch•Data Collection and Stats•Neritic tunas
IGOs and NGOs
IGOs and NGOs
Requests for advice or for execution of specific tasks
Provision of advice
Decision Making & IOTC Measures
Article V.2.d IOTC Agreement:
“To adopt, in accordance with Article IX and on the basis of scientific evidence, conservation and management measures, to ensure the conservation of the stocks covered by this Agreement and to promote the objective of their optimum utilization throughout the Area.”
Includes the adoption of standards for the collection and reporting of the fisheries data that are used in the generation of scientific advice
Regular review by the Commission and Scientific Committee of those standards, including levels of compliance by IOTC CPCs
Status of IOTC stocks
0.0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
19
73
19
74
19
75
19
76
19
77
19
78
19
79
19
80
19
81
19
82
19
83
19
84
19
85
19
86
19
87
19
88
19
89
19
90
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
20
11
20
12
Mil
lio
ns
of
me
tric
to
ns Catch IOTC Species 1973-2012
GUT
COM
BLT
FRI
KAW
LOT
SFA
MLS
BUM
BLM
SWO
SKJ
SBF
ALB
BET
YFT
Species
Year
Sum of Catch
WS
Last assessments
Stock 2013
2012
2011
2010
Prev.
Albacore 2007
Bigeye tuna 2008
Skipjack tuna No assessment
Yellowfin tuna 2008
Swordfish 2007
Blue marlin No assessment
Striped marlin No assessment
Other billfish Data poor methods; results need validation
Longtail tuna No assessment
Other neritic tunas Data poor; no assessment
Sharks Very poor data; no assessment
Colour key
Stock OVERFISHED (SByear/SBMSY<
1)
Stock NOT OVERFISHED (SByear/SBMSY≥
1)
Stock subject to
OVERFISHING (Fyear/FMSY>
1)
Stock NOT subject to
OVERFISHING (Fyear/FMSY≤
1)
Stock not assessed/ Uncertain
The status of half IOTC stocks and all sharks is poorly known due to the paucity of data available
How far does the IOTC data let us go
Sharks
Blue sharkOceanic whitetipThresher sharksMako sharksPorbeagleHammerhead sharksSilky sharkOther
Neritic tunas
Longtail tunaKawakawaFrigate tunaBullet tunaNB Spanish mackerelIP king mackerel
Sailfish and marlins
IP SailfishBlack marlinBlue marlinStriped marlin
Swordfish and albacore
AlbacoreSwordfish
Tropical tunas
Yellowfin tunaBigeye tunaSkipjack tuna[S. bluefin tuna]
The IOTC is as good as how its members participate (IN FULL) in these processes.
Thanking you for your attention www.iotc.org