Yellowfin tuna. (Photo: Nils Rinaldi/Flickr-Photo License: CC-BY 2.0)
New measures taken to control yellowfin tuna catches
SEYCHELLES
Friday, January 19, 2018, 23:50 (GMT + 9)
Local fishing authorities have started to apply new measures to control that Seychelles-flagged purse seiner vessels don't exceed their 2,555 metric tonnes limit of yellowfin tuna.
These measures are related to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission’s Resolution 17/01, and are part of a provisional plan to rebuild the region’s yellowfin tuna stock, reports Seychelles News Agency (SNA).
In 2016, a scientific committee reported over-exploitation, so the fishing quota was reduced by 15 percent.
The Seychelles Fishing Authority and relevant parties introduced a new simplified logbook and an improved landing declarations form so as to to strenghten the monitoring, reporting and compliance level.
Each vessel will have to present an estimate of landing declaration before proceeding on its next fishing trip, and if they do not fulfill this requirement, they will not be able to enter in the ports.
Besides, to motivate compliance, they will get a 30 percent of the quota based on good reporting and appropriate observing measures, which will be distributed in three parts on April, July and October this year.
The joint manager of the Spanish Organisation of Associated Producers of Large Tuna Freezers (OPAGAC), Miguel Herrera, said Seychelles needed to implement these measures “to ensure compliance with the catch limitation adopted by the IOTC.”
However, the Spanish leader told the agency SNA that the total allowable catch (TAC) per vessel implemnted by the Authority does not take into account vessels´ different sizes and that those measures might not be enough to allow proper monitoring.
In Herrera´s opinion, the commission should also consider implementing other measures than total allowance catch for the monitoring of fisheries. In this sense, he considered the measures adopted by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission is a good working example.
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