2023 began with high expectations for harvest strategies at the tuna-RFMOs. 2022 saw adoption of harvest strategies for 4 tuna stocks, and another four priority stocks were on track for 2023 adoption.
At the end of 2022, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted a multi-stock harvest strategy for Atlantic bluefin tuna and preliminary management objectives for western Atlantic skipjack. ICCAT was expected to build on this momentum by adopting harvest strategies for western Atlantic skipjack and North Atlantic swordfish this year, as well as make significant progress on a multi-species management strategy evaluation (MSE) for tropical tunas. But all three of these desired outcomes were unsuccessful, marking 2023 as a year of frustration for fisheries management at ICCAT.
But where there was disappointment in the Atlantic, tuna fisheries in the Pacific made notable progress for harvest strategies throughout the basin. The Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) agreed to a formulaic harvest control rule for North Pacific albacore in July, teeing up adoption on both sides of the basin. The Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), which governs the Eastern Pacific, adopted the framework to mark their first ever harvest strategy in August. The ball once again in their court, WCPFC adopted a complementary measure in December, making North Pacific albacore the first ever trans-Pacific harvest strategy and the first to be jointly managed by more than one regional fishery management organization. WCPFC also agreed to a revised target reference point for South Pacific albacore in a critical step toward harvest strategy adoption scheduled for next year.
But some of the most welcome news from WCPFC was about Western and Central Pacific skipjack tuna. WCPFC adopted a harvest strategy for this stock in 2022 but stopped short of mandating implementation. Some governments and stakeholders, including harveststrategies.org, continually called for WCPFC to take that important step this year, especially after the first run of the harvest strategy demonstrated that it was performing as expected and that fishing could remain at recent levels. WCPFC responded last week by adopting a clause in its main tropical tunas measure that will require management action if the harvest strategy-based fishing levels are exceeded, effectively implementing the harvest strategy. This was a monumental step forward for the world’s largest tuna fishery and the third largest fishery in the world.
Now, the conversation turns again to what we can expect for harvest strategies at tuna-RFMOs in 2024. This year was very much a steppingstone year at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), where harvest strategy development advanced considerably in 2023 for swordfish and skipjack, the latter of which currently only has a harvest control rule in place rather than a fully specified harvest strategy. Both stocks will be ready for harvest strategy adoption in 2024, and combined with the recent delays at ICCAT, it will make it an extraordinarily busy year. 2024 has the potential to see more harvest strategies adopted at tuna-RFMOs globally than ever before.
There are also encouraging signs of progress for other species besides tuna and swordfish at these and other RFMOs. In fact, the sole measure concerning harvest strategies adopted at ICCAT this year was for blue sharks, directing ICCAT scientists to explore the feasibility over the next couple of years of conducting management strategy evaluations on the northern and southern stocks. A harvest strategy for North Pacific saury could also be adopted early next year by the North Pacific Fisheries Commission. And the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean is preparing to adopt as many as ten harvest strategies in the coming years. These examples are encouraging signs that harvest strategies can continue to be scaled for all types of species and contexts in fisheries throughout the world.
The sudden closure of the east Bering Sea snow crab fishery for the 2022-2023 season, and now extended for the 2023-2024 season, shocked stakeholders, scientists, and other fisheries experts around the world. For a fishery once worth $132 million per year and popularized by the reality-tv show Deadliest Catch, the speed, social impact, and potential longevity of this collapse is reminiscent of the closure of Newfoundland cod in 1992 where over 30,000 people lost their jobs overnight. But compared to cod and many other fishery collapses that have historically been caused by overfishing, scientists recently published findings showing that the collapse of Bering Sea snow crab was likely a result of starvation driven by warming waters. The authors of the study dubbed climate change, “the next existential crisis for fisheries,” with snow crab, “a prime example for how quickly the outlook can change for a population.”
But perhaps, in 2023, we shouldn’t be so surprised at devastating collapses and closures of fisheries like east Bering Sea snow crab. From lobsters, to forage fish, to great whales, climate change has been causing drastic shifts in the health and distribution of marine life around the world for years, “stirring chaos” for fisheries along the way.
When the ocean had absorbed over 25% of CO2 emissions and 90% of excess heat from climate change by 2022, it’s only logical that some of the earliest detectable impacts of climate change are observed in the sea. Impacts on marine biodiversity from marine heatwaves and other phenomena are not only an outcome of climate change, scientists also observe that the responses are so rapid, widespread, and precise that they can serve as useful indicators of its progress in near real-time. Marine biodiversity and coastal communities can also be impacted from climate change related acidification, eutrophication, extreme storms, and other impacts. The evidence is clear: climate change is a present threat for fisheries everywhere, and the danger will likely become more severe. Even more resilient fishes, such as tunas and other highly migratory species that have widespread ranges and can tolerate a range of ocean temperatures, are expected to face significant contractions in suitable habitat, among other potential shifts in distribution.
What can fisheries do to prepare? Fortunately, scientists have tackled this very question for several years, and there is a growing wealth of knowledge and resources available. Among a diversity of pathways for how fisheries can individually build resilience, recent research has highlighted the overarching importance of effective governance (including adaptive management and long-term planning), ecosystem-based fisheries management, and utilizing the best available science. Social equity and resilience are also frequently integrated into climate change adaptation plans, and should be a feature of climate change resilient fisheries as well, including conflict resolution for disputes ignited by climate-change driven species range shifts.
Harvest strategies, or management procedures, are an example of one type of management tool that can facilitate adaptive management and can achieve several characteristics of climate resilient fisheries simultaneously:
These benefits for climate change resilience have been top of mind for us at HarvestStrategies.org as we work with Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs) to implement harvest strategies around the world. We are encouraged to see four of the five tuna-RFMOs have also formalized climate change advisory committees or workplans to more directly integrate climate change considerations into research and management (Table 1, see below).
But while there have been many accomplishments building climate change resilience in recent years, there is still more to be done. From November 30th to December 12th, governments from around the world will convene in Dubai for the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28). Food sustainability is a major focus at this year’s event, including how to reduce carbon footprints and also make food production more resilient to climate change impacts, especially in developing countries. Over 3 billion people rely on fish for 20% of their daily protein intake, with some coastal communities up to 70%. With most tuna production from low-cost species such as Skipjack, these efforts to improve fisheries sustainability are important to both environmental conservation and global food security. COP28 is a reminder that climate resilient fisheries – and tools like harvest strategies that can help achieve them – play a central role in a broader conversation on how to achieve a food-secure, sustainable future for the planet.
Table 1: tuna-RFMO climate change resolutions
| RFMO | Measure | Description |
| Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) | Resolution 2019-01 | Adopted in 2019, resolves to consider potential climate change impacts on highly migratory fish in the region, consequences on economies and food stability for relevant communities, support additional science on climate change impacts, and other actions. |
| The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) | Resolution 22/01 | Adopted in 2022, commits to consider the potential impacts of climate change on tuna stocks, bycatch, and other species in the ecosystem in the development of new measures, support further scientific research on climate change and tuna stocks, for the Scientific Committee to advise the Commission on climate change when requested, and other activities. |
| International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) | Resolution 22-13 | Adopted in 2022, a commitment to consider climate change impacts on target stocks, support additional climate change-focused research and data collection, consider how fishing activity may be impacted by climate change, and other activities, and to initiate the climate change work “without delay” including climate change focused meetings beginning in 2023. |
| Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) | Resolution C-23-10 | Adopted in 2023, a commitment to include climate change as an agenda item for the Working Group on Ecosystem and Bycatch (EBWG), the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the annual Commission meeting, the next science strategic plan, and other activities. |
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) made history in 2022 by adopting the first ever multi-stock management procedure (MP) for tuna with Eastern and Western Atlantic bluefin. This MP should be finalized this year by adopting an exceptional circumstances protocol (ECP’s) that would guide management in the case of unforeseen events (for example, a lack of critical input data). The bluefin MP and draft ECP’s followed on the 2017 MP for North Atlantic albacore, which has become another MP success story, recovering the stock and leading the recommended TAC for 2024-2026 to be the highest it’s ever been. ICCAT has momentum, and fisheries experts around the world are keen to see how the Commission plans to build from these successes.
The answer will come very soon. ICCAT has the potential to double the number of species it manages with MPs at its 2023 Commission meeting that begins on November 13th. Up for adoption is an MP for North Atlantic swordfish, an effort led by the major fishers, Canada, the United States, and the EU. Once so depleted that it attracted the attention of celebrity chefs who advocated for consumers to “Give Swordfish a Break,” the North Atlantic stock has seen an inspiring recovery led by ICCAT and member governments. 2023 could be the year ICCAT officially cements the stock’s future by adopting an MP that helps maintain its healthy status and fishery abundance for years to come.
Development of an MP for Western Atlantic skipjack tuna also made great progress this year following agreement on preliminary management objectives at last year’s annual meeting. A small stock compared to most tropical tuna fisheries, this MP could have an outsized impact as the first fully implemented MP for skipjack, the most frequently caught tuna and the third most frequently caught fish in the world. It would also be ICCAT’s first MP for a tropical tuna. With the technical work led by Brazilian scientists, it is also a symbol of the growing influence the global south is finally having at tuna-RFMOs, which have traditionally been primarily influenced by wealthier countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. However, as of November 8th, there is still no proposal posted on the meeting website from Brazil to tee up this MP for adoption despite endorsement from the ICCAT scientific community and potential support from other influential CPCs If there’s no proposal this year, this would be a major lost opportunity for Brazil as the leading harvester and ICCAT at large.
But there is another positive development for tropical tunas this year. In continuing its tradition of pioneering the science behind MPs and management strategy evaluations (MSE) on which they’re based, ICCAT has committed to manage all the remaining major tropical tuna stocks under its governance in the world’s first multi-species MP for bigeye, yellowfin, and eastern Atlantic skipjack tunas. The United States has submitted a proposal for preliminary management objectives for the multispecies MP. If adopted, this would help set ICCAT on track to adopt one of the most sophisticated MPs in history next year.
But to help position this monumental effort for success, ICCAT scientists have called for additional capacity in the form of an external review of the MSE software, more direct feedback and communication lines with the Commission, and to formalize a MSE technical working group specifically for the multi-species tropicals MSE. The Commission meeting will be an important time to finalize these plans including to agree to specific meeting dates and for members to commit to attending them.
2023 could be a milestone year for ICCAT if they can adopt an MP for North Atlantic swordfish, building upon the success of in-place MPs, while opening a new chapter with the potential to adopt their first MP for tropical tuna. With ICCAT’s commitment to establish MPs for 8 stocks in the near-term, this would put them more than halfway to their goal. With the extensive work on MSE and the upcoming multi-species MP, it will be essential to adopt the MPs for swordfish and skipjack to help clear the working calendar while also expanding the precedent for this important fisheries management tool.
In April of this year, Harveststrategies.org and FAO announced, “a bold new partnership to promote harvest strategy development and implementation for international tuna fisheries.” This four-year project aims to expand the knowledge base among fishery managers, scientists, industry, and other stakeholders on the benefits of harvest strategies (i.e., management procedures) for sustainable management of international stocks. Among several mediums from an eLearning course to in-depth factsheets, this partnership is also producing a quarterly webinar series to bring together experts and interested parties to explore and debate a myriad of topics related to harvest strategies.
The first webinar in this series took place on July 20, 2023, titled, “Taking Stock – Harvest Strategies at the tRFMOs” (watch the recording on YouTube here!). Moderated by Shana Miller, Director of International Fisheries Conservation at The Ocean Foundation, the webinar had over 120 participants tune in to 6 panelists representing all 5 tuna-RFMOs plus an industry specialist. In advance of our second webinar in the series on October 19th/20th, we’ve compiled the valuable insights of our expert panelists from the July session so you can get caught up to speed on what’s been discussed so far!
CCSBT (Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna):
IATTC (Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission):
ICCAT (International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas):
IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission): Dr. Paul deBruyn, IOTC Executive Secretary:
WCPFC (Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission):
Industry panelist: Mr. Brian Jeffriess, Chief Executive Officer, Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association (ASTBIA)
One of the overarching takeaways from these presentations was the emphasis on capacity building to help managers and other stakeholders better understand harvest strategies as fishery organizations work to scale this science-based approach around the world. This can come through several mediums, from workshops to designated science-management dialogue groups, among others. Here at www.harveststrategies.org, we’re trying to facilitate that capacity building by developing a multimedia suite of open access communications tools in multiple languages.
Don’t forget to register here for our next webinar, which will focus on harvest strategies for tropical tunas, scheduled for October 19th/20th, depending on time zone!
Near Victoria’s bustling waterfront, history was made on Friday during the annual Commission meeting for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC), hosted by the Canadian government in the British Columbia capital. In addition to progress on fish aggregating devices (FADs), vessel monitoring systems (VMS), and sharks, harvest strategies were one of the most prominent headlines with the adoption of a harvest strategy for North Pacific albacore.
After nearly a decade of work, with leadership from Canada, the United States, and Japan, North Pacific albacore is now IATTC’s first harvest strategy based on a management strategy evaluation (MSE). This accomplishment was monumental not only for the economic importance of the fishery and the amount of work invested in it, but also because it now has the opportunity to become the first trans-Pacific harvest strategy if a complementary measure is adopted by the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) at its Commission meeting in December.
This year’s measure follows up on IATTC’s commitment from 2022 to adopt a joint harvest strategy with WCPFC for the stock based on agreed upon management objectives and reference points. It fully specifies the harvest control rules, including a corresponding equation to set fishing intensity, while also providing a method and timeline for reviewing the harvest strategy beginning in 2030. Pending adoption by WCPFC in December, it also directs IATTC to coordinate with International Scientific Committee for Tuna and Tuna-Like Species in the North Pacific (ISC) to advise how the fishing intensity translates to on-the-water management beginning next year. This work will include balancing catch allocation across both IATTC and WCPFC, as well as individual North Pacific albacore fisheries within each RFMO divided by gear type (e.g., long liners, surface gear).
The adoption of this harvest strategy comes at a critical point when climate change is impacting fisheries globally and sets an important precedent for future harvest strategies as IATTC undertakes an ambitious agenda for this sustainable fisheries policy in the next two years. Next up will be bigeye tuna, set for adoption in 2024. Beyond that, yellowfin and skipjack are also on the agenda, as well as another joint harvest strategy with WCPFC for Pacific bluefin. Opportunities may arise for additional species as well. Another exciting outcome of the IATTC Commission was the adoption of a new measure that requires research and management for dorado (mahi mahi), for which an MSE was previously completed in 2019. This measure could help jumpstart a potential updated MSE and harvest strategy for this valuable stock as well. IATTC did not adopt a measure based on the prior MSE because of disagreement on whether they had the authority to manage the stock; this measure clarifies the answer to that question.
The Commission also adopted a new climate change resolution ensuring it will be a dedicated subject for the organization’s science and Commission meetings. Importantly, the measure directs staff to include climate considerations in future MSEs, demonstrating the recognition of harvest strategies as a climate adaptation tool that can make fisheries more robust to climate change impacts.
How can IATTC deliver on all these expectations? Up until this point, IATTC contracted external scientists to support MSE work. But at last week’s meeting, IATTC made an important decision to include an additional full-time staff member for MSE as part of next year’s budget. This new capacity and long-term investment in MSE puts IATTC in a strong position to adopt the bigeye harvest strategy on schedule, in 2024, to then move to harvest strategies for other stocks that will follow, and finally to help further integrate climate change considerations into the work.
The sound of the gavel at the Commission’s conclusion ushered in a new era of sustainable fisheries management for the eastern Pacific. IATTC has now joined the club of other tRFMOs that have applied MSE and harvest strategies for their fisheries, and a growing community of RFMOs that are formalizing their focus on climate change. The adoption of the harvest strategy for North Pacific albacore, and other related measures for MSE, signal that harvest strategies are no longer an emerging tool for managing fisheries. They are the present, now utilized in every tRFMO today. And they are also the future, for their role in helping fisheries adapt to climate change and a more unpredictable ocean in the years to come.
Now the question remains, will WCPFC solidify these accomplishments by adopting the North Pacific albacore harvest strategy in December? Since the champions at IATTC, namely Canada, the U.S. and Japan, are all members of WCPFC, and WCPFC’s Northern Committee already endorsed the harvest strategy last month, things look promising.
Harvest strategies are proving time and again their potential for recovering and stabilizing tuna fisheries across the world as a highly powerful tool for sustainable management, especially when directed by a thorough Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). Every tuna-Regional Fishery Management Organization (tRFMO) has implemented them for at least one tuna stock. That is, except for the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) that is responsible for tuna and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific.
IATTC being the sole outlier has not been for lack of need or effort by the Commission, which has worked diligently to build capacity for harvest strategies and MSE throughout its ranks. CPCs like the European Union and others have further contributed valuable resources for their development. These collective efforts could finally bear fruit at the annual Commission meeting this year. Several opportunities to advance harvest strategies in the region will be on the table when member states convene in Victoria, Canada, from August 7th to 11th.
The most anticipated opportunity is the chance for IATTC to follow up on July’s exciting news from Fukuoka, Japan. At that meeting, the Northern Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) agreed to terms for a harvest strategy for North Pacific albacore, which include a formulaic harvest control rule. As this is a jointly managed stock across WCPFC and IATTC, adoption of this harvest strategy by IATTC – followed by adoption by WCPFC in December – will be needed for it to take full effect. So, in achieving their own milestone by adopting their first harvest strategy, IATTC can also make global history by working with WCPFC to implement the first ever harvest strategy to be executed by multiple RFMOs working together. It would also be the second albacore stock to have a harvest strategy, following North Atlantic albacore that, according to recent stock assessments, has already seen impressive growth in its abundance and total allowable catch since its harvest strategy was adopted in 2017.
The United States, Japan, and Canada have submitted a proposal to adopt a joint harvest strategy for North Pacific albacore, as recommended by IATTC’s Scientific Advisory Committee during their meeting in May. We, alongside several other governments and environmental organizations such as WWF and The Pew Charitable Trusts, urge that this guidance be heeded at the Commission next week. It joins calls to action by key market stakeholders as well, such as Bumblebee Tuna which has historically advocated for a harvest strategy for the stock.
Eastern Pacific bigeye tuna will also be a point of conversation at the IATTC Commission. This stock stands to be IATTC’s first MSE-tested harvest strategy for a tropical tuna if the MSE and harvest strategy development work stays on track for adoption next year. For this to happen, the management objectives that define a vision for the long-term status of the stock must be further specified to help direct the MSE work. Bigeye is overfished, with catches declining in recent years. Adopting a harvest strategy will ultimately be crucial not just to the health of the stock, but also clearing the runway for harvest strategies of other tropical tunas to follow suit.
Yet financial resources for developing harvest strategies at IATTC are set to expire at the end of 2023, leaving the development of a harvest strategy for bigeye at risk of being further delayed. For this work to continue, member countries must agree to long-term funding to support MSE, including investing in full-time staff for IATTC to complete the work. And as a general best-practice for making MSE development more efficient, IATTC should also join other RFMOs in the establishment of a science management dialogue group (SMD). A SMD can help enhance stakeholder engagement throughout the harvest strategy development process while also avoiding future delays in development and implementation. It too will require dedicated funding to achieve its goals.
Additional funding and the formation of a SMD would be essential to help bigeye cross the finish line and allow IATTC to focus on harvest strategies for additional stocks. In the wake of the Northern Committee’s agreement for albacore in July, IATTC enters this year’s Commission meeting with rare momentum that could be a game changer for management of tunas and tuna-like species in the eastern Pacific. This is an opportunity not to be missed.