Saving Seafood

  • Home
  • News
    • Alerts
    • Conservation & Environment
    • Council Actions
    • Economic Impact
    • Enforcement
    • International & Trade
    • Law
    • Management & Regulation
    • Regulations
    • Nutrition
    • Opinion
    • Other News
    • Safety
    • Science
    • State and Local
  • News by Region
    • New England
    • Mid-Atlantic
    • South Atlantic
    • Gulf of Mexico
    • Pacific
    • North Pacific
    • Western Pacific
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • Fishing Terms Glossary

Update to ISSF Participating Company Compliance Report Shows Improvement Across All Measures

November 21, 2016 โ€” The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

WASHINGTON โ€” The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its Update to ISSF Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report, which shows a conformance rate of 95.6 percent by 25 ISSF participating companies as of October 31, 2016, across all 20 measures then in effect. ISSF Participating Companies account for about 75% of the global canned tuna market.

The November 2016 Update is based on audits conducted June 2016โ€“October 2016 on measures where some companies had โ€œminorโ€ or โ€œmajorโ€ nonconformance. Improvements noted since the June 2016 ISSF Conservation Measures & Commitment Compliance Report was published include:

  • 14 companies were found to be fully compliant with all 20 measures.
  • 19 companies were fully compliant in 17 or more conservation measures.
  • โ€œMinorโ€ non-conformance with measures dropped from 11.6% to 4.4%.
  • All 6 โ€œmajorโ€ non-conformances have been corrected, resulting in the first 0% โ€œmajorโ€ non-conformance rate since the report has been published.

The ISSF Conservation Measures & Commitments Compliance Report is published annually to track ISSF participating companiesโ€™ progress in conforming with ISSF conservation measures like these:

  • Tracing tuna products by fishing and shipment vessels, fish species, ocean, and other factors
  • Establishing and publishing policies to prohibit shark finning and avoiding transactions with vessels that carry out shark finning
  • Conducting transactions only with purse seine vessels whose skippers have received educational information from ISSF on best practices such as reducing bycatch
  • Avoiding transactions with vessels that are on an RFMO Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) Fishing list

In addition to these summary reports, third-party independent auditor MRAG Americas issues individual company reports that document in detail each companyโ€™s compliance with conservation measures. This year, for the first time since ISSF started tracking and reporting company compliance in 2013โ€”and in response to requests for deeper informationโ€”ISSF now publishes the individual company compliance reports on its website.

โ€œThat many of the tuna industryโ€™s key players are conforming to science-based conservation measures, opening their books to independent auditors, and reporting their findings publicly, would be accomplishment enough,โ€ said ISSF Board Member Dr. Bill Fox, Vice President, Fisheries, WWF-US. โ€œBut efforts to improve participating company conformance within the audit yearโ€”increasing the conformance rate by seven points in just five monthsโ€”raises the bar for the industry and the market as a whole. And it represents continuous improvement in action.โ€

ISSF continually expands and refines its science-based conservation measures, which now number more than 25. New measures passed by the ISSF Board of Directors in October 2016โ€”some taking effect in 2016, and others in 2017 or laterโ€”cover non-entangling FADs, product traceability, and fishing capacity management.

More Information about ISSF Conservation Measures & Compliance

For long-term tuna sustainability, a growing number of tuna companies worldwide are choosing to participate with ISSF, follow responsible fishing practices, and implement science-based conservation measures. From bycatch mitigation to product traceability, ISSF participating companies have committed to conforming to a set of conservation measures and other commitments designed to drive positive changeโ€”and to do so transparently through third-party audits.

โ€œWe recognize that transparency underpins all of the initiatives we tackle, and all of the collaborative efforts we undertake,โ€ said ISSF President Susan Jackson. โ€œTransparency reinforces the understanding that we are not only committed to making a difference, but to clearly demonstrate ongoing improvement in meeting that commitment.โ€

As part of its commitment to transparency and accountability, ISSF engages third-party auditor MRAG Americas to audit ISSF Participating Companiesโ€”assessing their compliance with ISSFโ€™s Conservation Measures and Commitments. MRAG Americas conducts independent auditing based on a rigorous audit protocol.

The Majority of the Tuna Catch Comes from Abundant Stocks, But Overfishing of Some Stocks Continues

September 22, 2016 โ€” WASHINGTON โ€” The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The global commercial catch of tuna โ€” a valuable, natural protein food source โ€” reached 5 million tons in 2014, an increase from 4.6 million in 2013, according to the ISSF Tuna Stock Status Update โ€“ 2016 (Status of the World Fisheries for Tuna) report just published by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). The report can be downloaded from the ISSF Status of the Stocks page. Tuna accounts for approximately 6% of the worldโ€™s 81.5-million-ton marine catch.

The skipjack tuna species accounted for 57% of the tuna catch, followed by yellowfin (27%), bigeye (9%), albacore (6%) and bluefin (1%). Purse seine vessels harvested 64% of the tuna, followed by longline methods (12%), pole-and-line (9%), gillnets (4%) and miscellaneous fishing gear types (11%).

The ISSF report indicates that 77% of the total volume of tuna catch worldwide in 2014 was from stocks at a โ€œhealthy level of abundance.โ€ Previous Tuna Stock Status Update reports showed 78% of tuna catch from healthy stocks in 2014 (from a preliminary report in February 2016), 87% in 2013, 86% in 2012, and 94% in 2011.

From a perspective of tuna stocks, 44% of tuna stocks globally are at a healthy level of abundance, and 39% are overfished. Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) bigeye tuna, for example, continues to be slightly overfished and was downgraded from a Green (healthy abundance) rating to a Yellow (intermediate) rating since the previous February 2016 report. Other overfished stocks were Western Pacific Ocean (WPO) bigeye, Atlantic Ocean (AO) bigeye, and Indian Ocean (IO) yellowfin.

Tuna Stock Status Update also reports on tuna management measures recently enacted by tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs). Significant newly adopted measures covered in the report include the adoption by the IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission) of harvest control rules (HCRs) for skipjack tuna, as well as a plan for rebuilding the overfished IO yellowfin stock. The IATTC (Inter-American-Tropical-Tuna-Commission, in the EPO) also adopted an HCR for tropical tuna species.

โ€œWhile 77% of the worldโ€™s tuna catch comes from healthy stocks, it is important to remember that there are four stocks โ€” representing 13% of the catch โ€” that are being overfished,โ€ explains Dr. Victor Restrepo, ISSF Vice President, Science. โ€œEven though there are management measures in place for them, these measures are proving to be insufficient to end overfishing โ€” and a greater effort is required.โ€

International Seafood Sustainability Foundation Annual Report Emphasizes Impact of Global Collaboration on Tuna Management

June 23, 2016 โ€” The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) released its 2015 annual report today, Global Reach, Global Impact, which outlines tuna sustainability progress and achievements and argues for continuous improvement of global tuna fisheries through collaboration and advocacy.

โ€œSince 2009, ISSF has advanced science-driven approaches to sustainable tuna fisheries and served as a convener and facilitator for collaboration amongst a diverse group of stakeholders that share common goals,โ€ said ISSF President Susan Jackson. โ€œIn 2015, we continued to leverage this cross-stakeholder engagement to support and vigorously advocate to Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs).โ€

โ€œWeโ€™re making progress toward the adoption and implementation of science-based measures that advance sustainably managed tuna stocks,โ€ Jackson said, โ€œand weโ€™re pleased to share the global impacts of our work โ€“ from the water to the shelf โ€“ in the 2015 annual report.โ€

See the full report at the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation 

Priorities for Indian Ocean Tuna Fisheries Ahead of Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) Meeting

May 19, 2016 โ€” The following was released by the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation:

WASHINGTON โ€” The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) has released its position statement in advance of the 20thSession Meeting of IOTC in La Reunion, France on May 23-27.

At the top of the statement, ISSF urges IOTC to take additional steps beyond last yearโ€™s workshops to adopt reference points and harvest control rules (with particular attention to Indian Ocean yellowfin), create closed vessel registries to address fleet capacity issues and continue to improve the regionโ€™s management and data collection of fish aggregating devices (FADs).

โ€œIn collaboration with our NGO partners and participating companies, ISSF has issued strong appeals to IOTC โ€“ from the adoption of measures that will reduce catches of IO yellowfin tuna and rebuild the stock to the development of an integrated monitoring, control and surveillance strategy,โ€ said ISSF President Susan Jackson. โ€œIOTC delegates have received numerous outreach letters from ISSF participating companies as well as like-minded NGOs and industry colleagues prior to this meeting, and we hope that this unified call for action will be taken into account for the yellowfin issue, as well as other outstanding work that can and should be achieved in the region.โ€

Highlights from the ISSF position statement include:

Tuna Stocks

The IOTC Scientific Committee projected that a 20% reduction in catch could rebuild the yellowfin stock to the Maximum Sustainable Yield (MSY) level with 50% probability by 2024 and recommended that a rebuilding plan for the stock should be driven by an agreed Management Procedure (Harvest Strategy), including Harvest Control Rules, and based on the agreed interim target and limit reference points.

ISSF therefore urges the IOTC to adopt measures to reduce the catches of yellowfin by longline, gillnet, handline and purse seine by at least 20% and supports the Scientific Committeeโ€™s recommendation regarding a rebuilding plan.

Harvest Strategies

In order to further progress the adoption of Harvest Strategies, ISSF urges the Commission to fully support the recommendation from the ongoing IOTC workshops promoting dialogue among scientists, managers and stakeholders related to the formulation of management objectives, and to provide assistance to developing members.

Fishing Capacity

ISSF urges the Commission to implement the recommendations of the second IOTC Performance Review on fishing capacity management and to consider the outcomes of the 2014 ISSF workshop.  ISSF urges the Commission to amend Resolution 03/01 to create a comprehensive closed vessel registry.

FAD Management

ISSF encourages all fleets to implement, as soon as possible, provisions regarding the use of non-entangling FADs designs to reduce the incidental entanglement of non-target species, using biodegradable material as much as possible, based on the principles outlined in Resolution โ€“ a critical step in the reduction of shark mortality and reduction of other ecosystem impacts in the Indian Ocean.

Shark Management

ISSF endorses the Scientific Committeeโ€™s recommendations that the Commission develop mechanisms to encourage members to comply with their data-reporting requirement and adopt sufficient measures to limit fishing mortality on sharks.

Observer Coverage

ISSF strongly urges the adoption of 100% observer coverage on large-scale tropical tuna purse seine fleets. Where human onboard observers are not possible for certain fleets or vessel sizes, the Commission should immediately explore electronic monitoring systems and establish policies and guidelines for their use.

ISSF and PNA Establish Framework for Cooperation to Achieve Mutual Sustainability Goals

May 5, 2016 โ€” Washington, D.C. โ€” The International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) announced today that they have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a framework for mutual cooperation. The three-year MOU will establish a mechanism for working more closely together on shared activities to promote the sustainability of tuna fisheries, as well ecologically healthy and productive marine ecosystems, in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO).

ISSF and PNA share the view that there is a need to improve the conservation and sustainable use of tuna resources in the WCPO. ISSF and PNA also acknowledge the role that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) plays in assessing and managing tuna populations in the WCPO. ISSF further recognizes that PNA members are responsible for implementing the decisions adopted by the PNA Ministers and WCPFC within waters under their national jurisdiction.

โ€œThe PNA has been committed to the adoption of harvest control rules in the WCPFC, has achieved the first ever Marine Stewardship Council certification of a purse seine tuna fishery, and has put into place strong monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) measures like 100% observer coverage, VMS and FAD tracking,โ€ said ISSF President Susan Jackson. โ€œWe applaud and support these activities by the PNA, and advocate for similar programs across all tuna RFMOs and tuna fisheries. It is a natural next step that ISSF and PNA, who have worked alongside for some time now, have formalized a cooperative relationship,โ€ Jackson continued.

Read the full press release at the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation

  • ยซ Previous Page
  • 1
  • โ€ฆ
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9

Recent Headlines

  • Data now coming straight from the deck
  • ALASKA: Alaskaโ€™s 2025 salmon forecast more than doubles last year
  • Seafood sales at US retail maintain momentum, soar in April
  • MSC OCEAN STEWARDSHIP FUND AWARDS GRANT TO CWPA
  • Industry Petition to Reopen Northern Edge Scallop Access Named as Top-Tier Deregulation Priority
  • Fishery lawsuit merging coastal states could reel in Trump
  • MARYLAND: Moore signs Chesapeake Bay bill as federal cuts loom large
  • MAINE: How climate change impacts alewives and other migrating fish in Maine

Most Popular Topics

Alaska Aquaculture ASMFC Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission BOEM California China Climate change Coronavirus COVID-19 Donald Trump groundfish Gulf of Maine Gulf of Mexico Hawaii Illegal fishing IUU fishing Lobster Maine Massachusetts Mid-Atlantic National Marine Fisheries Service National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NEFMC New Bedford New England New England Fishery Management Council New Jersey New York NMFS NOAA NOAA Fisheries North Atlantic right whales North Carolina North Pacific offshore energy Offshore wind Pacific right whales Salmon South Atlantic Western Pacific Whales wind energy Wind Farms

Daily Updates & Alerts

Enter your email address to receive daily updates and alerts:
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Tweets by @savingseafood

Copyright ยฉ 2025 Saving Seafood ยท WordPress Web Design by Jessee Productions

Notifications