EU makes proposals for the sustainable management of tuna in the Indian Ocean

Brussels, 11 April 2023
Today, the European Union made public four ambitious proposals for the next Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) session taking place from 8 to 12 May 2023. The objective is to improve the conservation of tuna and the management of fisheries. According to the IOTC Scientific Committee, the current situation of the stock and level of fishing in the Indian Ocean are not sustainable. Along with the new proposals, the EU has tabled an objection to the IOTC Resolution 23/02 on the management of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

A high level of ambition

At the next IOTC annual session, the EU will promote the adoption of the following proposals:

Amultiannual plan for the management of tropical tunas, to improve the management of the three tropical tuna stocks (yellowfin tuna, bigeye tuna and skipjack tuna). The IOTC Scientific Committee considers that the current situation of the stock and level of fishing in the Indian Ocean are not sustainable. This multi-species plan would last for 3 years and would bring down the level of catches in line with the scientific advice. Multi-species plans have been successfully adopted and implemented by otherregional fisheries management organisations(RFMO) but this would be the first time in the IOTC. The EU proposes a proportional catch reduction taking into account both the current level of catches for each IOTC member and their development status to ensure that developing countries are treated fairly.

A scheme for theboarding and inspection of vessels in the high seas. Ensuring the inspection of fishing vessels in the high seas is one of the most important and efficient tools to ensure compliance with the IOTC rules and, more importantly, to fightIllegal, Unreported and Unregulated(IUU) fishing activities. IUU fishing is the largest threat to the sustainable management of fisheries and of the marine ecosystem. The EU hopes to build on the initial discussion started in 2022 where most of the Members of the IOTC expressed their support for the proposal.

An update of the rules of the IOTC Compliance Committeeto improve the compliance process, to make sure that fishing activities are conducted in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and conservation measures. The Compliance Committee is the body that monitors the implementation of the existing rules and obligations by IOTC Members. Compliance has been a weak point of the IOTC and this proposal will identify and address the areas of non-compliance. It will also support developing coastal countries to better monitor their fleets, ports and water under their jurisdiction.

A new resolution for themanagement of drifting fish aggregating devices(FADs) to replace Resolution 23/02, adopted in the February special session of IOTC. The EU’s objective is to improve the obligations that are technically difficult to implement, to clarify unclear provisions, and to align the text to the scientific advice. The proposal addresses all the relevant aspects of the FAD fishery from marking, to tackling plastic pollution to limiting the number of FADs while also improving the most challenging provisions from Resolution 23/02 to ensure its effective implementation.

Objection to the resolution on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs)

In addition to the submission of the improved proposal on FADs, the EU has also decided to object to IOTC Resolution 23/02.

In the February 2023 IOTC special session on FADs, Resolution 23/02 on the management of drifting FADs was adopted by majority vote, against all IOTC Members fishing on drifting FADs. As a result, many IOTC members have lodged an objection to that resolution, including the EU, the Comoros, Oman, Kenya, the Seychelles and the Philippines.

The EU believes that IOTC members should work in a cooperative manner and all efforts should be exhausted to reach consensus. Conservation measures should not include provisions that are not implementable or unclear. It is also essential that management decisions in RFMOs are underpinned by scientific advice.

Following their objection, the objecting countries, will not be bound by this resolution and will not have to implement all its provisions.

Background

It is an intergovernmental organisation gathering the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and the countries having an interest in the tuna fisheries in the area. The objectives are to promote cooperation among its members for the conservation and optimal utilisation of the tuna stocks in the area and to ensure the establishment of a sustainable fisheries in the region. To achieve these objectives, IOTC members meet annually, discuss and adopt measures for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species.

The EU became a member of IOTC in 1995. The other members of IOTC are Australia, Bangladesh, China, Comoros, Eritrea, France on behalf of its overseas territories, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mozambique, Oman, Pakistan, Philippines, Seychelles, Somalia, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, the United Kingdom and Yemen.

More information

Proposals from the European Commission for the IOTC session of May 2023:

Proposal Multi-annual Conservation and Management Measure Plan for tropical tunas

Proposal for an update of the rules of the IOTC Compliance Committee to improve the compliance process

Proposal on high seas boarding and inspection scheme

Proposal on the management on Fish Aggregating Devices

Objection to the Resolution 23/02 on Fishing Aggregating Devices

Questions and Answers

Quotes

The EU is committed to the sustainable management of fisheries at global level. With our proposals for the IOTC, we aim to improve the conservation of tuna and drastically reduce the illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing activities. We are also proposing a revised resolution on drifting Fish Aggregating Devices as we consider that some provisions of the resolution adopted in the February are not implementable and unclear and not based on scientific advice. The EU wishes that in the coming session IOTC Members will work in a cooperative manner and through consensus.

Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries – 11/04/2023

Source – EU Commission

Brussels, 11 April 2023

What is the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and what is the EU proposing for the next IOTC session in May?

The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) is the regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) mandated to manage the fisheries on tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean and adjacent seas. It was established in 1993 and entered into force in 1996. It is an intergovernmental organisation gathering the countries bordering the Indian Ocean and the countries having an interest in the tuna fisheries in the area. The objectives are to promote cooperation among its members for the conservation and optimal management of the tuna stocks in the area, and to ensure the establishment of sustainable fisheries in the region. To achieve these objectives, IOTC members meet annually, discuss and adopt measures for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species. It also organises special sessions on specific topics, such as the session of February 2023 on Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

At the coming IOTC annual session (May 2023), the EU is presenting 4 ambitious proposals to improve the conservation of tuna and the management of fisheries. Along with the new proposals, the EU is tabling an objection to the IOTC Resolution 23/02, taken at the last special session of February 2023, on the management of drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (FADs).

What are regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs) ?

Countries with fishing interests in a given geographical area form specific RFMOs. The organisations are open both to countries in the region (‘coastal states’) and countries that have interests in those fisheries (‘distant water fishing nations’). While some RFMOs have a purely advisory role, most have management powers to set catch and fishing effort limits, technical measures, and control obligations. Today, RFMOs cover the majority of the world’s seas. They can broadly be divided into RFMOs focussing only on the management of highly migratory fish stocks, notably tuna, (‘tuna-RFMOs’) such as IOTC and RFMOs that manage other fish stocks (i.e. pelagic or demersal) in a more specific area.The EU, represented by the Commission, plays an active global role by participating to 18 RFMOs. This makes the EU one of the most prominent actors in RFMOs worldwide, enabling it to promote international ocean governance and the sustainability of international fisheries.

What is a FAD?

A FAD is a device used to attract tuna and/or other fish in order to facilitate their capture. As fish naturally gather under objects drifting at sea, FADs use this mechanism to aggregate larger numbers of targeted species. FAD designs may vary and are often composed of a raft and subsurface part. A FAD can be drifting and tracked by means of a satellite buoy or anchored to the bottom of the seafloor. Their use depends on the needs of the fleets using them. Purse seine vessels use a majority of drifting FADs in the high seas, while coastal communities tend to use anchored FADs that are located closer to the coastline.

Why are FADs used?

FADs have considerable benefits and are used in many fisheries. FADs increase the catchability of certain species that gather under them. Using FADs reduces the effort needed to fish thus reducing the time at sea and fuel necessary to fish. For example, without FADs, purse seine vessels which fish large quantities of fish at once, would spend more time at sea looking for large schools of tuna, with longer fuel-intensive operations and uncertain results. Therefore, using FADs has clear benefits in lowering the emission of greenhouse gases and the cost of fishing operations.

Why is the EU defending the use of FADs despite their impact on the environment?

In comparison to other fishing methods which have comparable impacts, the EU does not believe that the use of FADs should be overly restricted but their impact on the environment should be minimised.

Therefore, the EU aims, through its proposal to the IOTC, to reduce the impact of drifting FADs, in particular their impact on fishing stocks, the ecosystem and their contribution to marine litter. The measures proposed aim to introduce the use of biodegradable FADs, to reduce the loss of drifting FADs or even limit the number of deployed devices. If adopted, this proposal should be an important step in improving the sustainability of fisheries using drifting FADs, which should be the management objective across all gears.

Why is the EU allowing the use of FADs despite the marine pollution it creates?

The EU is proposing to gradually introduce the use of biodegradable materials in the construction of drifting FADs. In this step-wise approach, FADs should become gradually more biodegradable, forbidding the use of the most polluting models. By 2027, with the development of new technologies, FADs deployed in the Indian Ocean shall be fully biodegradable.

In the meantime, the measures introduced by the EU proposal to the annual meeting of the IOTC aim to reduce the loss of FADs and their contribution to marine pollution. The proposal, should it be adopted, will reduce the number of buoys deployed and acquired, impose the marking of drifting FADs and impose reporting the loss of a drifting FAD.

Why is the EU not proposing a lower number of FADs?

The EU is proposing a progressive and significant reduction of deployed FADs to 240 (down from 300) per vessel, representing the lowest number of deployable FADs ever agreed in any ocean.

In its management objectives, the EU is taking into account the needs of all fleets to progressively adapt. It is also addressing potential overly negative impacts of a low limit of FADs which would lead to higher greenhouse gases emissions and put in question the ability of the fleet to efficiently operate.

It is to be noted, though, that FADs significantly contribute to the efficiency of fishing operations, by reducing the time spent by the fleet at sea searching for fishing ground, thus reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emission, two important aspects of the environmental impact of fishing operations.