I’m kind of uncomfortable speaking of “post-covid” when worldwide people are dying of the disease. Thankfully not to the levels we had in the past, but it is not out there yet.
For the last 2.5 years the observer coverage in the regions was extremely low, with only 294 observed trips out of 2180 estimated fishing trips across the entire fleet. The lack of observer data significantly affects the precision of the purse seine skipjack but also bigeye tuna catch estimates in the aggregate data used for stock assessments.
SPC has previously advised that if the reduced observer coverage continues beyond 2021/22, there will be increased uncertainty in the estimation of management reference points for bigeye and yellowfin.
Hence as covid stabilizes, we looking at ways to resume observer coverage. In RMI we developed a new protocol for boarding observers, and while we maintained a pool of observers active with the domestic-based fleet, the reality is that in the region, we may have had a massive drop in the number of observers to service the estimated over 2000 placements a year we had prior covid.
Observers being self-employed, moved on into new jobs, started families, lost interest, etc… so even if their and the crew on board safety (in terms of covid) was guaranteed, it would take a while to get the core number needed back to the operational levels needed.
A lot of training and refresher training initiatives are taking place to help with this.
The transhipment at sea scenario was a mess before, and is bigger even now… we have seen a reduction in the number of observed transhipment events on the high seas, from 1472 in 2019, to 1172 in 2020, 1008 in 2021, and 348 to date in 2022. Few observers are being deployed on carrier or offloading fishing vessels, with 12% of transhipment observed in 2021 and 7% 2022.
Yet if we look at observer coverage in the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), where the structure of the observer programme is quite different from that in the WCPFC. The IATTC observed 94% of transhipments in 2021 (including those in the overlap area) through a combination of national and IATTC Secretariat placements.
So this makes me question if we absolutely need to reform the way that the WCPFC HS observer programme works (or doesn't work)
In fact we recognised in the last FFA “Quantification of IUU Fishing in the Pacific Islands Region” that at-sea transhipment as a key area of uncertainty in the longline supply chain, stating that “important areas of uncertainty remain in the at sea transhipment component of the longline supply chain and monitoring and control remain a work in progress. In particular, improvements are required to strengthen the implementation of the observer program such that information provided by vessels on the volume and species composition of fish transhipped can be validated against independent observer estimates”
At present, WCPFC has a requirement for a minimum of 100% ROP observer coverage rate to monitor at-sea transhipment (CMM 2009-06 paragraph 13), but lacks requirements for standardized transhipment observer forms and is the only tuna regional fishery management organization (tRFMO) that has not created a dedicated high seas transhipment observer program for receiving carriers.
So, while some WCPFC members do provide observer coverage on their flagged vessels under their national observer programs, this leaves the Commission to rely on a patchwork system where each member designs its own transhipment observer program without Commission-wide requirements for consistent observer training, data collection, or reporting. Overall, this current process does not provide consistent information conducive to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of tuna resources in the region – a stated aim of the Commission.
Other tRFMOs such as IOTC, ICCAT, IATTC, and - to a certain extent - the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT) have comparable transhipment measures that apply to large-scale tuna longline fishing vessels and authorized carrier vessels. Each measure requires that:
All at-sea transshipments are prohibited unless monitored under the transhipment regional observer program (ROP).
Members ensure that all carrier vessels have a transhipment ROP observer onboard
Members submit an annual comprehensive report assessing the content and conclusions of the reports of the observers assigned to their carrier vessels.
Across the RFMOs, these measures have led to very similar high seas transhipment ROPs, financed by the countries whose longline vessels engage in transhipment operations but managed and administered by independent organizations. These third-party organizations have provided training, coordinated placements, debriefed observers, and reported on transhipment data for over a decade.
Also, most of the countries doing transhipment at sea (China, Japan, Korea, Panama, Taiwan) do it across all tRFMOs. So one would think that it would be to their own benefit to have standardised HS transhipment observer schemes across all their fleets, doesnt matter under wich tRFMO their vessels are operating.
I reckon it would be the right time for the WCPFC to explore the option of a centralised WCPFC HS TS ROP that would be managed by a provider that coordinates with the WCPFC Secretariat to:
Identify available PIRFO-certified observers from national programs;
Facilitate observer contracts and coordinate placement of observers onboard vessels;
Coordinate logistics such as flight, visa, and accommodation arrangements for observers;
Administer financial arrangements (including allowances for observers in transit);
Develop and administer a Code of Conduct for observers;
Facilitate insurance for observers;
Manage the provision of technical and safety equipment; and,
Coordinate debriefing, data management and reporting.
While the Commission considers the advantages of HS TS ROP, it is also worth including the following improvements for the overall effectiveness of transhipment monitoring in the region:
Adoption of reporting minimum transhipment observer data fields and submission of these reports to the WCPFC Secretariat within 24 hours of disembarkation.
Enhanced transhipment data sharing agreements with IATTC; and,
Requirements for countries to respond to transhipment observer reports.