World’s Largest Fisheries Management Body Has Chance to Boost Sustainability

Fisheries management is a big deal, with wide-ranging implications for both ocean health and many countries’ economies. Take, for example, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which oversees conservation and management of key species, including skipjack, yellowfin and Atlantic bluefin tunas—together worth more than $5 billion annually.

ICCAT was founded 60 years ago and has steadily gained prominence, including over the past decade by expanding to manage non-target species such as sharks, sea turtles and seabirds. ICCAT is the largest of the world’s regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), with 60 member governments and cooperating parties, and is therefore often seen as a leader in the field by other fisheries managers.

So, it is a good thing indeed that the commission has shown progress on sustainable fisheries in recent years and equally important that ICCAT, at its Commission meeting from 16 to 23 November in Vilamoura, Portugal, continues to improve fisheries oversight to fulfil its mandate.

ICCAT should build on science-based management progress

Since 2015, ICCAT has developed management procedures, or MPs, for important species, including Atlantic bluefin, north Atlantic swordfish and others. Through these modern approaches to fisheries management, member governments and key stakeholders agree in advance to long-term objectives for the fishery and on how catch levels will change depending on population size, removing the need for annual quota negotiations and making management more transparent, predictable, and ultimately more effective. 

To build on its prior successes, ICCAT at its Commission meeting should advance the development of MPs for blue sharks, tropical tunas and south Atlantic albacore so that all three are teed up for adoption next year. Doing so would signal to seafood markets that ICCAT is committed to sustainably managing commercially important species with methods that science supports.

How a high-seas oversight plan would help

Like any fisheries management measure, MPs are only effective when coupled with strong oversight and enforcement. This is particularly critical for RFMOs, which manage fisheries in vast, difficult-to-patrol areas of the ocean, many of which are rife with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Although ICCAT has been a leader among RFMOs in the adoption of effective fisheries monitoring and control measures, it is behind on adopting a high-seas boarding and inspection (HSBI) scheme, which would enable member governments’ authorities to board and inspect fishing vessels on the high seas. Some RFMOs, such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission and North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission, already have such systems in place.

To be effective, HSBI should include transparent and consistent operating procedures and sufficient capacity-building mechanisms so that smaller fishing nations can effectively participate in vessel boardings and inspections. ICCAT members have been discussing an ICCAT HSBI proposal for many years and should finally adopt it this year to ensure more robust monitoring and enforcement of their existing management measures.

As ICCAT celebrates its 60th anniversary, it should take the opportunity to solidify its position as a model for improved fisheries management and maintain momentum towards modern rules and effective enforcement.

Esther Wozniak works to advance The Pew Charitable Trusts’ advocacy for sustainable global fisheries, particularly through Atlantic and Mediterranean regional fisheries management organizations.