SPC secures a unique world record – 100,000 tuna tagged by one individual /
The tuna tagging experiments conducted by SPC’s Oceanic Fisheries Programme (OFP) are acknowledged to be among the most comprehensive in the world and have recently achieved yet another milestone.
Tuna are highly-migratory fish, which make it very difficult to assess and monitor the health of their stocks. Approximately 60% of global tuna are caught in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean, and most of this catch comes from the waters of SPC-member countries. Tagging experiments are considered to be the only reliable means of obtaining some of the key information (such as movement and growth) required to conduct tuna stock assessments.
After four decades of involvement in Pacific Island tuna fisheries, Dr Antony Lewis recently achieved the mark of 100,000 tuna tagged by an individual, which is a world record unlikely ever to be surpassed. The milestone was achieved during a recent tagging cruise in Papua New Guinea (PNG) waters operating under the Pacific Tuna Tagging Project (PTTP) in collaboration with the PNG National Fisheries Authority.
A short movie about the latest PNG tuna tagging cruise in January 2012. Project funded by PNG NFA and jointly undertaken with SPC's Oceanic Fisheries Programme. For more information please visit: www.spc.int/tagging. Music by Naio. Images by Malo Hosken (SPC).
Pacific countries will need to confront distant water fishing nations /
Pacific Islands Tunanomics workshop
There is a urgent need for Pacific nations to rise above national agendas and act regionally, to respond effectively to the economic crisis in the Pacific’s albacore long line fisheries, warns the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency Director-General James Movick.
To make this happen FFA members look to work cooperatively with the Pacific Island territories who are not members of FFA but who share the same demise.
Full article here
Come on board: longlining for Tuna in Fiji /
A small video by SPC (Secretariat of the Pacific Community) Oceanic Fisheries Programme
Longline tuna fishing in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean
Power Europe: EU and the illegal, unreported and unregulated tuna fisheries regulation in the West and Central Pacific Ocean /
Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities are widely considered a main cause of unsustainable fisheries across the globe. The EU has taken a leading role in the fight against IUU fishing, using both its market and normative power to advance its EU IUU Regulation (no. 1005/2008) and wider fisheries sustainability agenda outside its territory. This paper examines how successful the EU has been in using its market and normative power to influence regulatory strategies and frameworks governing tuna fisheries in the Pacific Islands region of the Western Pacific Ocean. The results indicate that while the market power of the EU remains an influential factor, the diminishing normative power of the EU in WCPO is weakening any attempts to implement its IUU fishing regulation and Pacific Island nations have promoted their own regulatory agenda. We conclude that the changing asymmetries between market and normative power has led to a differentiated geography of regulatory uptake, and while market power will remain a dominant strategy for the EU, normative power, when exercised should focus on cooperation rather than ‘teaching’ the benefits of an EU regulatory approach.
Power Europe: EU and the illegal, unreported and unregulated tuna fisheries regulation in the West and Central Pacific Ocean - Alice M.M. Miller n, Simon R. Bush, Arthur P.J. Mol
Download the article from here
The Ins and Outs of Control in Fisheries Management /
Tuna fishery management options, and the uses of input and output controls.
The Science of FADs (Fish Aggregation Devices) /
Laurent Dagorn, a Senior Scientist with the Institut De Recherche Pour Le Développement, discussed the science of FADs.
Precautionary Principle vs Precautionary Approach in Fisheries /
Subtle differences on words make big conceptual differences
Property Rights in Regards to Tuna /
Professor Scott Barrett discusses property rights and the challenges that sometimes prevent nations from agreeing upon them.
On board a Pole & Line vessel /
Pole and line is one of the most selective fishing methods around (no by catch), the captain sets over an identified school and employs a lot of people directly and indirectly with its associated bait boats. However, they catch in a year, what some purseiners catch in a month.
Would you be ok with paying a much higher price for a can of tuna, if it was fished this way?
While you consider it, come on board for a few minutes.
Sound track "Deeper and Deeper" by Jackie Mittoo (Studio One - Kingston - 1970s)
Sound track: "Sabrosa" by Instituto Mexicano del Sonido (DF. 2005)
Abalone boom 'like lottery win' for NZ fishermen /
The depletion of local stocks in Asia, especially China, means a lucrative export market from New Zealand has developed.
In the 1980s, New Zealand's government recognised stocks were shrinking and introduced fishing quotas for paua.
The goal is to moderate fishing from month to month, to see where fishing has occurred before, to reduce the stress on the paua, so you don't go back to the same spot again and again.
Full article here
Passage lane for PH fishing vessels thru Indonesia's EEZ eyed /
A proposal to have a navigation lane for Philippine-flagged fishing vessels to pass through the Indonesian Exclusive Economic Zone towards high seas is being submitted for deliberation by concerned Indonesian government agencies. - See more here
Uruguay's decreasing fish exports to Europe and Africa /
Uruguayan fisheries are facing a bleak future after the poor performance in the last two years of the country returns. The fishing industry is failing to recover markets, and during 2014, it will have to cope with the duty benefit curtailment to enter the European market.
Full article here
MEKEM STRONG SOLOMON ISLANDS FISHERIES /
I'll be working with the Solomon Island Government (with the economic support of the NZ MFAT - NZAID), on the development and implementation of Standard Operational Procedures (SOPs) in support of Solomon Islands implementation of the National Plan of Action to address IUU fishing and compliance with the European Union IUU regulation.
Pole Liner in Noro
Pirate fishing steals from poor and wrecks marine environment /
Prevention, not cure
Although fishing vessels have names and other identifiers, these are not permanent and can be easily painted over and changed by their owners. This makes it incredibly difficult for authorities to recognise specific vessels engaged in illegal fishing and to track misconduct. Introducing mandatory, permanent ship registrations in accordance with standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is the way to go.
Details on IMO identification number scheme.
Full article here
History lesson /
One in four tuna products mislabelled in Spain /
Labelfish, a project led by the Spanish council of scientific investigations, revealed levels of fraudulent labeling of fish-based products in the country are as high as 25% in fresh and frozen tuna, and 12% in canned tuna.
The transnational cooperation program Atlantic Area gathered €1.2 million of financing for the research from Spain, France, Ireland, Portugal, the UK and Germany. The initiative has analyzed food goods involving several species like anchovy, cod and tuna.
The Atlantic network on genetic control of fish and seafood labeling and traceability aims to set up a trust of entities with an interest in the use of standardized, innovative analytical techniques to control genetic traceability and labeling of seafood products.
more on the article here
South Pacific tuna crisis to do with politics and economics /
The crisis in the Pacific tuna industry is caused more by economic and political factors, not by an actual dwindling of fish stocks. That's according to Transform Aqorau, CEO of the Parties to the Nauru Agreement, who is based in Marshall Islands. Complete interview here
Traceability, IUU & Human Rights Project Manager /
FishWise just launched a search for a Traceability, IUU & Human Rights Project Manager. As you likely know, FishWise provides expertise and tools to companies implementing commitments to sustainable seafood. The Trace/IUU Project Manager will collaborate with FishWise staff and work closely with the Project Director, Mariah Boyle to support the traceability, IUU & human rights work of the organization. The ideal candidate will have a passionate commitment to ocean conservation as well as a background in marine science, policy, fisheries or ocean conservation issues. While knowledge of seafood sustainability is not required, the successful candidate should be interested in learning about sustainability. The position will be located in Santa Cruz, California. The complete position description and application instructions can be found on the FishWise website at http://www.fishwise.org/about-us/careers
Why do we need more of everything... /
All of man's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone. Blaise Pascal. 1568