Mauritius, 18-20 March 2014

Compliance Workshop: Collection and reporting of Fisheries data to IOTC

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

Understanding the IOTC Process

IOTC Secretariat

S
Sponsored by BOBLME-IOC-SmartFish-IOTC
 What is IOTC

S IOTC is one of five tuna-

Regional Fisheries
Management Organizations
(RFMO)
S IOTC = Member countries

S IOTC, a joint decision-making

mechanism with actions taken
at the individual country level
 One of Five

S CCSBT: Commission for the Conservation of Southern-Bluefin Tuna

S IATTC: Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
S ICCAT: International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
S IOTC: Indian Ocean Tuna Commission
S 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

S 1968: A IO Tuna Committee is established as part of the Indian Ocean

Fishery Commission (an FAO body):
S Review stock status
S Determine areas for future management
S Recommend measures

S 1980: Indo-Pacific Tuna Programme (IPTP)

S Technical support
S Establishment of a database of tuna fisheries in the IO (since 1970)
S Coordinated research (first tagging programmes)
S Prepared the groundwork for an RFMO

S 1986-1988 : Intergovernmental consultation

S France, Japan, Seychelles, Sri Lanka and Thailand
S To prepare recommendations for a management arrangement

S 1993: The Agreement to establish IOTC is approved by the FAO

Council (under Article XIV)
S Membership open to UN Members: Taiwan Province of China cannot join
 IOTC Member and Cooperating Parties

S Australia
S Belize S Sudan
S China At present 31 Members plus 2 S Tanzania
S Comoros Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties S Thailand
S Eritrea S United Kingdom
S European Union S Vanuatu
S France S Yemen
S Guinea
S Iran, Isl. Rep. Cooperating parties:
S India S South Africa
S Indonesia S Senegal
S Japan
S Kenya
S Korea, Rep.
S Madagascar
S Maldives
S Malaysia
S Mauritius
S Mozambique
S Oman
S Pakistan
S Philippines
S Seychelles
S Sierra Leone
S Sri Lanka SOURCE EEZ shape file: http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#eez
 The IOTC Secretariat

S Secretariat established in Seychelles in 1998

S Facilitates the exchange of information between Members
S Compiles, reviews, safe-keep, and disseminate information, as
agreed by IOTC CPCs
S Facilitates the scientific process
S Provides information on fisheries and catch trends
S Coordination of research (e.g. Indian Ocean Tuna Tagging
Programme)
S Data analysis, in particular assessments of IOTC stocks and impact
of IOTC fisheries on other marine fauna (bycatch) and the ecosystem
at large
S Meeting organization and support
S Capacity building activities:
S Science: IOTC-OFCF Project, COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, SWIOF
S Compliance: COI-SmartFish, BOBLME, GEF-ABNJ
 The Mandate
Biological & Economic

S Promote conservation and

optimum utilization of tuna stocks
(Article V.1 IOTC Agreement)
S 16 IOTC species of tuna and tuna-like
S At present 16 stocks (??)
S In the IOTC Area or any adjacent area
IOTC stocks extend to
S Highly migratory species
 Highly Migratory: Tagging

S Tuna movements: Tag recoveries of tunas that moved 1500 nautical miles or more from the point of
release (considering movement in a straight line)
S Top: Indian Ocean Regional Tuna Tagging Project (off TANZANIA & off OMAN)
S Bottom: Small scale tagging in the MALDIVES

Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna

Yellowfin Tuna Bigeye Tuna Skipjack Tuna

 The Mandate
Biological & Economic

S Promote sustainable development of

fisheries based on those stocks (Article Purse seine
V.1 IOTC Agreement)
Longline
S Include all fisheries that catch IOTC-species (both
directed at IOTC species or catching IOTC species Gillnet Trolling
as bycatch)
S Assess effects of the fisheries on the ecosystem (e.g.
incidental catches of other species such as sharks)
S All coastal countries in the Indian Ocean plus some Pole-and-line
Distant-water fishing nations have fisheries for
Or any other catching IOTC species
tunas
 Group Species
Tropical tunas Yellowfin tuna Species
Bigeye tuna
M O Sharks and rays
Skipjack tuna
A Highly migratory species of sharks
Temperate tunas T (e.g. blue, makos, oc. whitetip, silky,
I H thresher, porbeagle) and rays (e.g.
Albacore manta rays, pelagic stingrays)
N Southern bluefin tuna (CCSBT) E
Bilfish Swordfish R Marine turtles
Green, hawksbill, leatherback,
loggerhead, olive ridley, flatback
S Black marlin

Blue marlin
S
P P
Seabirds
Striped marlin Several species of albatross, petrels
E E and shearwaters
Indo-Pacific sailfish
C Neritic tunas Longtail tuna
C Marine mammals
Several species of toothed and baleen
I Frigate tuna
I whales
E
E Bullet tuna

Kawakawa
S Other finfish
Other tuna species and other non-
S
targeted, associated and dependent
Seerfish Narrow-barred Spanish mackerel species
Indo-Pacific king mackerel
 The Process

S The three-stage structure of the process

S The first step in the IOTC process: How is the scientific advice generated?
S Methods and models
S Data used
S Diagnostics and projections
S Situation of the major IOTC stocks

S The second step: the decision making process

S How is the scientific advice used to generate conservation and management measures?

S The third step: National implementation and compliance

S What needs to be done at the national level after a decision is adopted?
 The structure of IOTC

Commission
(31+2) Member States decide
on actions)

Compliance Scientific
Committee Committee
(advise on (advise on
enforcement) status)
IGOs and NGOs

Secretariat Working Groups

(support process at (scientific analysis)
•Tropical Tunas
all level from HQs •Billfish
Provision of advice in Seychelles) •Temperate Tunas
•Ecosystems & Bycatch
Requests for advice or •Data Collection and Stats
for execution of specific •Neritic tunas
tasks
 Decision Making & IOTC Measures

Article V.2.d IOTC Agreement:

S “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.”

S Includes the adoption of standards for the

collection and reporting of the fisheries
data that are used in the generation of
scientific advice
S Regular review by the Commission and
Scientific Committee of those standards,
including levels of compliance by IOTC
CPCs
 WS
Millions of metric tons

Year
0.0
0.4
0.8
1.2
1.6
Sum of Catch
1973
1974
1975
1976
1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
Catch IOTC Species 1973-2012

2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
Status of IOTC stocks

2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
FRI

SKJ

YFT
BLT

SBF
SFA

BET
ALB
LOT
Species

MLS
GUT

BLM
KAW

SWO
BUM
COM
 Last assessments

The status of half

IOTC stocks and all Stock 2013 2012 2011 2010 Prev.
sharks is poorly Albacore 2007
known due to the Bigeye tuna 2008
paucity of data Skipjack tuna No assessment
available
Yellowfin tuna 2008
Swordfish 2007
Stock Stock NOT
Colour key OVERFISHED
(SByear/SBMSY< 1)
OVERFISHED
(SByear/SBMSY≥ 1) Blue marlin No assessment
Stock Striped marlin No assessment
subject to
OVERFISHING
(Fyear/FMSY> 1) Other billfish Data poor methods; results need validation
Stock NOT
subject to Longtail tuna No assessment
OVERFISHING
(Fyear/FMSY≤ 1)
Other neritic tunas Data poor; no assessment
Stock not
assessed/ Sharks Very poor data; no assessment
Uncertain
 How far does the IOTC data let us go

Tropical tunas
Swordfish and albacore
Sailfish and marlins
Yellowfin tuna
Neritic tunas Bigeye tuna
Albacore Skipjack tuna
Sharks Swordfish [S. bluefin tuna]
IP Sailfish
Black marlin
Longtail tuna Blue marlin
Kawakawa Striped marlin
Blue shark Frigate tuna Spatially
disaggregated,
Oceanic whitetip Bullet tuna integrated models
Thresher sharks NB Spanish mackerel Integrated models; (SS3, MULTIFAN-
catch-at-age or catch- CL)
Mako sharks IP king mackerel at-size models
Age-structured Tagging data essential!
Porbeagle (e.g. SS2)
production models
Hammerhead sharks (ASPM)
Silky shark Biomass dynamic
models (Production
Other models); delay-
Basic indicators difference models
(Catch trends, SRA, ASPIC
CPUE, mean size, etc.) Increasing complexity
means better
approximation but
more data are required!
 The IOTC is as good as how its members
participate (IN FULL) in these processes.

Thanking you for your attention www.iotc.org