Sea Delight Signs on to Improve Fisheries Management and Sustainability
May 31, 2020
Sea Delight has endorsed 2 letters supporting important fisheries management measures and sustainability efforts.
The first letter, written and sent by the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), and titled “COVID-19 and Observer Coverage and Management of Tuna Fleets”. The letter was in response to the suspension of the requirement for on board observers on tuna fleets due to the COVID pandemic, although the fleets continue to fish. It was sent to the following Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs).
1. Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC)
2. Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC)
3. Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC)
4. International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT)
In part, the letter states:
“We fully understand and support those measures implemented to protect the health and welfare of observers and crew, and their families, onshore co-workers, and communities, especially the communities in small island developing states that are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19.
As companies that trade in tuna, including retailing to the general public, we are key stakeholders in these fisheries and strongly wish to see the environmental impact of these fisheries managed in a manner consistent with our procurement specifications for sustainable sourcing. The potential impacts of the effective suspension of the at-sea observer program are of major concern to us.”
The letter requested the RFMO’s:
“That the normal mandated functioning of the at-sea observer program, including during transshipments, is restored at the earliest practical date. This restoration must be done without prejudicing the health and safety of observers, crew, or their onshore co-workers, families, and wider communities.”
“That each RFMO seeks to achieve the agreement of all Members to rapidly progress to having electronic monitoring as an accepted approach to providing an alternative to human observer coverage of all fleets/vessels operating within the Convention Area.”
In an email, dated May 29, 2020, from SFP’s Global Markets Director, Ian Rolmanis, Mr. Rolmanis reported on the response to the letter so far.
“To date we have received direct feedback from seven individual delegates (Ecuador, EU (two delegates), US, Kenya, Republic of South Korea, Ghana) and the secretariats from the WCPFC, IOTC and ICCAT. Both the WCPFC and IOTC took the added initiative to circulate our letter to all of their members. We will continue to engage with these delegates on how we can support them to drive change at an RFMO level.
We wanted to also bring everyone up to date on the status of observer suspensions at the RFMO’s. The IATTC has proposed to extend the “COVID-19 Pandemic Exception Procedure for the Operation of On-Board Observers” from May 31 to July 31st 2020. Similarly, the WCPFC has proposed an extension in the context of COVID-19 relating to purse seine observer coverage, at-sea transshipment for purse seine vessels and at -sea transshipment observers from May 31, to July 31st 2020.”
As the situation and the response to the letter develops Sea Delight will report here.
The second letter “ATTN: Heads of Delegation to IATTC, IOTC, ICCAT and WCPFC”, prepared by the NGO Tuna Forum, will be sent next month. The letter serves as a reminder to the RFMOs, and national delegations, to enact more robust management measures for tuna. The letter opens with this statement:
“The undersigned agree that to ensure the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks, governments and regulatory bodies must effectively address three core elements: Stock and Ecosystem Management, Information and Data, and Transparency.”
The letter includes graphics outlining the NGO Tuna Forum’s “Global Priorities to Strengthen RFMO management”. These include:
“- Comprehensive, Precautionary Harvest Strategies
- 100% Observer Coverage for Industrial Tuna Fisheries
- FAD Management Best Practices
- At-Sea Transshipment Best Practices
- Longline Bycatch Mitigation Improvement”
As the RFMO’s hold annual meetings this year Sea Delight will report here on the progress made on these critical issues.
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