Does ICCAT need ecosystem plans? a pilot ecosystem plan for the Atlantic tropical ecoregion.

The implementation of an Ecosystem Approach Fisheries Management (EAFM) in ICCAT has been slow and patchy, as it lacks a long-term plan, vision and guidance on how to operationalize it. Ecosystem plans are needed to formalize the process of operationalizing the EAFM by identifying and formalizing ecosystem goals and objectives, planning actions based on priorities, measuring performance of the whole fishery system, addressing trade-offs, and incorporating them in fisheries management. The Specific Contract N0 2 under the Framework Contract - EASME/EMFF/2016/008 provisions of Scientific Advice for Fisheries Beyond EU Waters has developed a pilot ecosystem plan for the tropical ecoregion of the Atlantic Ocean. In this document, we highlight the main potential benefits of developing ecosystem plans in ICCAT. Second, we briefly describe the main core elements developed in the pilot ecosystem plan for the Tropical ecoregion of the Atlantic Ocean. Third, we summarize our main thoughts and lessons learned in the development of this pilot ecosystem plan for one ecoregion within ICCAT. Last, we propose a list of actions, research activities and capacity building activities to foster the development, use and implementation of ecosystem plans in ICCAT.Versión del edito

In support of the ICCAT ecosystem report card: advances in monitoring the impacts on and the state of the “foodweb and trophic relationships” ecosystem component.

In support of the development of the ICCAT Ecosystem Report Card, this paper addresses the “foodweb/trophic relationships” ecosystem component. Specifically, it contributes towards developing the following elements: (1) we describe what this component means in the context of ICCAT species and fisheries and the importance of monitoring it; (2) we describe the role of ecological indicators and ecosystem models in monitoring this ecosystem component; (3) we present a list of candidate ecological indicators that could be estimated to monitor this component; (4) we discuss the main challenges in monitoring this ecosystem component and indicator development; and finally (5), we draft a work plan to guide our future work. We invite the ICCAT community and others to contribute towards the development of ecological indicators and ecosystem models to monitor this ecosystem component. If interested, contact the corresponding authors to find out how you can contribute to this initiative.Versión del editor

In support of the IOTC ecosystem report card: Advances in monitoring the impacts on and the state of the “foodweb and trophic relationships” ecosystem component

In support of the development of the ICCAT Ecosystem Report Card, this paper addresses the “foodweb/trophic relationships” ecosystem component. Specifically, it contributes towards developing the following elements: (1) we describe what this component means in the context of ICCAT species and fisheries and the importance of monitoring it; (2) we describe the role of ecological indicators and ecosystem models in monitoring this ecosystem component; (3) we present a list of candidate ecological indicators that could be estimated to monitor this component; (4) we discuss the main challenges in monitoring this ecosystem component and indicator development; and finally (5), we draft a work plan to guide our future work. We invite the ICCAT community and others to contribute towards the development of ecological indicators and ecosystem models to monitor this ecosystem component. If interested, contact the corresponding authors to find out how you can contribute to this initiative

Selecting ecosystem indicators for fisheries targeting highly migratory species: An EU project to advance the operationalization of the EAFM in ICCAT and IOTC

Several international legal agreements and guidelines have set the minimum standards and key principles to guide the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). However, the implementation of an EAFM in tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) has been patchy and lack a long-term plan, vision and guidance on how to operationalize it. The Specific Contract N0 2 “selecting ecosystem indicators for fisheries targeting highly migratory species-” (SC02 project) under the Framework Contract - EASME/ EMFF/2016/008 provisions of Scientific Advice for Fisheries Beyond EU Waters- addresses several scientific challenges and provides insights to support the implementation of an EAFM through collaboration and consultation with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Specifically, this project first highlights properties of success and best practices from other regions of the world in operationalizing the ecosystem approach that potentially could be transferred to ICCAT and IOTC. Second, it delivered a list of potential ecosystem indicators of relevance to tuna RFMOs (ICCAT and IOTC) that are suitable to track the impacts of fisheries targeting tuna and tuna-like species on the broader pelagic ecosystem. Third, it designed a general framework based on a rule-based decision tree to provide guidance on how reference points could be set and used for diverse types of ecosystem indicators. Fourth, it proposed candidate ecoregions within the Atlantic and Indian Oceans which could be used to guide region-based ecosystem plans, assessments and research to ultimately provide better ecosystem-based advice to inform fisheries management. Fifth, it developed two pilot ecosystem plans for two case study regions, the tropical ecoregion within the ICCAT convention area, and the temperate ecoregion within the IOTC convention area. At this stage, these pilot ecosystem plans aim to create awareness about the need for ecosystem planning, start a discussion about the elements that need to be part of a planning process, and initiate a discussion in ICCAT and IOTC about the potential needs of ecosystem plans and their function. Finally, this project provided recommendations to foster the potential development, use, and implementation of ecosystem plans in ICCAT and IOTC

In support of the IOTC ecosystem report card: three ecosystem indicators to monitor the ecological impacts of purse seine fisheries operating in the Indian ocean

In support of the IOTC ecosystem report card, we estimated several indicators which could be used to measure progress towards monitoring the impacts of IOTC fisheries on and the state of the “Food web/Trophic relationships” ecosystem component. An ecosystem approach requires understanding the ecological effects of removing all animals through fishing. In addition to the monitoring of the total biomass removed, it is also necessary to know the species composition of the total catch and whether they are retained or not, their life history traits and their ecological role in the food web. We used the available fishery statistics and observer data from the EU and Seychelles’ purse seine fishery targeting tropical tunas in the western Indian Ocean to examine the potential ecological effects of this fishery on the food web structure and functioning of this ecosystem. We estimated the total biomass removed by the fishery in terms of weight, trophic level and replacement time by purse seine fishing method (sets on floating objects-FOBs and sets on free schools-FSCs) across different areas in the Indian Ocean

In support of the IOTC ecosystem report card: indicators for non-retained sharks and rays

In this working paper, we address the ecosystem component consisted of “nonretained sharks and rays” to support the development of an ecosystem report card in the IOTC region. This group includes sharks and ray species that are not retained due to retention bans or due to their low or no commercial value. The interaction between these non-retained species and IOTC fisheries needs to be monitored because, in most cases, stock assessments have not yet been conducted due to lack of data and their status remain unknown or poorly known. The conceptual objective of this work is to reduce the interactions and mortality induced by IOTC fisheries to levels that would be sustainable for these species. The operational objective is to determine whether the number of interactions and total mortality is not jeopardizing the reproductive capacity of the species. To do so, we propose a list of candidate indicators to be calculated for key species and fishing gears. Two examples of indicator trends derived from purse seine data are presented and briefly discussed. Future steps include making an inventory of available data sources by species, updating the list of priority species by gear type, exploring indicators for species for which data is available and defining periodicity for the indicator assessments. The work presented here is still in progress and requires the collaboration of multiple experts with experience on the multiple gears operating in the IOTC convention area. We invite the IOTC community to contribute towards the development of this ecosystem component to support the IOTC ecosystem report card

Selecting ecosystem indicators for fisheries targeting highly migratory species: An EU project to advance the operationalization of the EAFM in ICCAT and IOTC

Several international legal agreements and guidelines have set the minimum standards and key principles to guide the implementation of an ecosystem approach to fisheries management (EAFM). However, the implementation of an EAFM in tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) has been patchy and lack a long-term plan, vision and guidance on how to operationalize it. The Specific Contract N0 2 “selecting ecosystem indicators for fisheries targeting highly migratory species-” (SC02 project) under the Framework Contract - EASME/ EMFF/2016/008 provisions of Scientific Advice for Fisheries Beyond EU Waters- addresses several scientific challenges and provides insights to support the implementation of an EAFM through collaboration and consultation with the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). Specifically, this project first highlights properties of success and best practices from other regions of the world in operationalizing the ecosystem approach that potentially could be transferred to ICCAT and IOTC. Second, it delivered a list of potential ecosystem indicators of relevance to tuna RFMOs (ICCAT and IOTC) that are suitable to track the impacts of fisheries targeting tuna and tuna-like species on the broader pelagic ecosystem. Third, it designed a general framework based on a rule-based decision tree to provide guidance on how reference points could be set and used for diverse types of ecosystem indicators. Fourth, it proposed candidate ecoregions within the Atlantic and Indian Oceans which could be used to guide region-based ecosystem plans, assessments and research to ultimately provide better ecosystem-based advice to inform fisheries management. Fifth, it developed two pilot ecosystem plans for two case study regions, the tropical ecoregion within the ICCAT convention area, and the temperate ecoregion within the IOTC convention area. At this stage, these pilot ecosystem plans aim to create awareness about the need for ecosystem planning, start a discussion about the elements that need to be part of a planning process, and initiate a discussion in ICCAT and IOTC about the potential needs of ecosystem plans and their function. Finally, this project provided recommendations to foster the potential development, use, and implementation of ecosystem plans in ICCAT and IOTC