Our demand for ecosystem based reform of fishery management at IOTC

Accredited Observer at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission

In the Indian Ocean, sharks are caught by both industrial and small-scale fisheries, with literally no catch limits and little reporting of catch levels. This results in a massive underestimation of the true impact of fishing on shark populations, unknown or uncertain stock status for most shark species, and a great deal of uncertainty in compliance with the few measures that do exist. Even worse, this constant lack of data prevents much-needed conservation measures from being adopted and implemented by members because no precautionary approach is being used, and shark species are not being effectively managed.

How can this vicious cycle be ended?

Read the latest scientific articles and reports

Position Statements on the Outcome of the 28th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (May 13th – 17th 2024)

Sharks are in a crisis everywhere, but the situation is among the worst in the Indian Ocean and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) has miserably failed to step up conservation and Managment measures for sharks on the past.

Last year an attempt by Maldives and supported by many coastal nations to introduce a new resolution requiring all sharks to be landed with fins naturally attached, starting to develop harvest control rules for commercially fished shark species like blue sharks and shortfin mako and to introduce effective bycatch mitigation measures to increase survival of sharks that must not be retained ( at this time only oceanic whitetip, whale shark and thresher sharks) or are not wanted by the fisheries and therefore discarded, failed due to the objection from Japan, China and the European Union.

This year a new proposal with even further improved measures has been submitted by the Maldives and Pakistan as the Scientific Committee had failed to provide clear scientific advice on the critical issues of fins naturally attached and a ban of wire leaders and shark lines used by those fleets targeting sharks.

Together with other NGOs we are supporting the proposal from Maldives and Pakistan and call for tiring the tide at IOTC for sharks at this year‘s Commission Meeting.

Position Statement on the Outcome of the 27th Session of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (May 8th – 12th 2023)

IOTC Commission Meeting once again shuttered hopes for sharks, despite the courageous leadership of coastal states

SHARKPROJECT supports the decision of the Maldives to withdraw their proposal in view of the unwillingness of parties to agree on the proposed improvements for sharks. We are disappointed to see that EU, Japan, and China prevented the measures being adopted claiming lack of scientific advice. We therefore call on the Scientific Committee to prepare clear scientific advice to improve shark conservation measures for the next Commission meeting in 2024, at which time those measures must be adopted and swiftly implemented. Further delays to these conservation measures are unacceptable, and have in fact been overdue for many years, if not decades.

2023 - Comments at the 6th Special Session of the IOTC on improvements needed in the management of DFADs

Sharkproject supports the proposal IOTC-2023-SS6-PropD[E] "on the Management of Drifting Fish Aggregating Devices (DFADs) in the IOTC Area of Competence" submitted by Kenya and other countries for the Sixth Special Session of the Commission, which focuses on measures for the tropical purse seine tuna fishery using drifting FADs, which is now the most widespread fishing method and accounts for 40% of the global tuna catch. We also hope to see the introduction of bycatch avoidance and mortality reduction targets, which are essential to halting the further decline of threatened shark and ray populations in the Indian Ocean and creating a realistic opportunity for the recovery of potentially overfished stocks of silky sharks, oceanic white tips, and other ETP bycatch species.

2022 - Sharkproject contribution to IOTC working groups in 2022

In addition to the significant underestimation of the true extent, it is also clear that many Member States, including Spain, still do not report discards of silky sharks by their purse seine fleets to the Commission, even though they are required to do so. This contributes significantly to the underestimation of the true extent of silky shark mortality. Although other fishing methods such as driftnets/gillnets and longlines are certainly responsible for even greater numbers, the 1.5% share of the total silky shark catch reported to date for purse seine fishing is certainly misleading. This is of particular concern given that the largest proportion of purse seine tuna is already caught on dFADs and that the number of dFADs is steadily increasing due to the European "longline" fleets with their huge tuna catches, which not only significantly hinder the recovery of yellowfin tuna but also affect the Indian Ocean silky shark population. Large numbers of animals either become entangled in the dFAD constructions and die as a result, or silky sharks end up as bycatch in the nets and die even when released alive.

2022 - Report by Sharkproject as part of the IOTC Working Groups in 2022

Investigate the true extent of silky shark bycatch in the Indian Ocean industrial purse seine tuna fishery. Sharkproject's research shows that the previously assumed bycatch and discard levels of silky sharks are actually at least 3–4 times, and likely as much as 10 times, higher. Although the Indian Ocean purse seine fishery still speaks of less than 300 metric tons per year, and repeatedly cites this figure in MSC certifications as justification for not having to take improved bycatch reduction measures, in reality at least 1,000 metric tons of mostly juvenile, immature silky sharks are caught each year—and that's just by the three tuna vessels certified so far by the MSC for dFAD purse seine fishing.

2022 - Position Paper for the 26th Meeting of the IOTC

We call for an end to IOTC inaction on shark conservation because it still cites a lack of sufficient data as an excuse for a lack of conservation action. The data is lacking because many member states inadequately report their catch and bycatch of sharks. Therefore, lack of data must no longer be used as an excuse. We sent our demands to the IOTC and also repeated them in our interventions during the meeting.

Goal

Our demands to the IOTC are based on our demands for fisheries reform, towards true ecosystem-based fisheries management for all species, including bycatch and the entire marine ecosystem and include:
  • shark-specific demands such as "Fins Naturally Attached"
  • improved transparency through independent monitoring (by human observers combined with electronic systems),
  • full reporting of all catches and bycatch,
  • public availability of fishery-specific bycatch data for each catcher vessel,
  • as well as improving the selectivity of the fishing gear used to reduce shark bycatch in particular.

Our main concern is that the primary goal must always be to avoid or at least significantly reduce bycatch of unwanted species (e.g. sharks, marine mammals, seabirds, and sea turtles), as this is the best option for the survival of the affected species, most of which are already endangered, critically endangered, or even threatened with extinction. Only then come measures to reduce the mortality of the bycatch through so-called "best handling practices" at release, which can be achieved through technical measures on board, repeated training of the crew and a constant review and improvement of both.

Members at IOTC:

Australia, Mauritius, People's Republic of Bangladesh, Mozambique, China, Sultanate of Oman, Comoros, Pakistan, Eritrea, Philippines, European Union, Seychelles, France (OT), Somalia, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, South Africa,, Islamic Republic of Iran, Sudan, Japan, Tanzania, Kenya, Thailand, Republic of Korea,United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Madagascar, Yemen, Malaysia, Maldives

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Project history

March until September 2020

SHARKPROJECT receives accreditation as an observer at IOTC

Responsible

Dr. Iris Ziegler

International Cooperation