Blog originally published on FAO’s Common Oceans Program Newsroom.
Countries strengthen skills in management procedures through regional training
16/07/2026
15 -16 July 2026 – Antigua, Guatemala – Fisheries scientists and managers from across Central America gathered in Antigua for the first regional workshop on management procedures for sustainable fisheries, under the framework of the Organization of the Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector of the Central American Isthmus (OSPESCA).
The two‑day event forms part of a global series of capacity‑building workshops hosted by The Ocean Foundation (TOF) and supported by the GEF‑funded FAO Common Oceans Tuna Project, designed to strengthen science‑based decision‑making in tuna and tuna‑like fisheries.
Management procedures (MPs), also known as ‘harvest strategies’, are pre-agreed decision-making frameworks that determine allowable fishing levels under different stock conditions. They aim to keep fisheries within sustainable limits while reducing the risk of stock decline.
Management strategy evaluation (MSE) simulations are used to stress test MPs to assess their performance under uncertainties such as climate change, illegal fishing and data gaps. This approach supports more predictable management that can also reduce conflict in decision-making.
©FAO/Camilo Pareja
Previous capacity-building sessions have been held in the Seychelles, Egypt and the Pacific region, the latter led by the Pacific Community (SPC). The Guatemala workshop marks the first time this training has been offered in the Central American region.
“Many fisheries managers have heard about MSE and management procedures, but fewer have had the opportunity to gain the depth of knowledge needed to participate confidently in their development and application,” said Dr. David Die, the lead instructor of the workshop. “By strengthening the capacity of managers to engage constructively in these processes, we can accelerate the adoption of MPs and support more effective, transparent, and sustainable fisheries management for the benefit of all.”
Strengthening regional cooperation through OSPESCA
OSPESCA, a specialized institution of the Central American Integration System (SICA), coordinates sustainable fisheries frameworks across the region. Its mandate covers the national waters, inland waters and Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of its member states – Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic. The organization works to harmonize fisheries laws, design sustainable management policies and combat Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.
“Strengthening technical capacity is essential for ensuring that management decisions are based on solid science,” said Bernal Chavarría, Coordinator of Fisheries Management and Policy at OSPESCA. “This workshop will provide our countries with the knowledge and tools to engage meaningfully in the decision-making process for our shared marine resources to ensure sustainable management.”
Applying the latest fisheries management methodologies
Participants included fisheries managers, scientists and technical officers from seven OSPESCA member countries. Prior to the workshop, they were asked to complete FAO’s e‑learning course series on management procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries. Building on that foundation, the training provided practical experience in applying the concepts to real‑world decision‑making.
The first day focused on developing and testing MPs. Participants explored management objectives, reference points, harvest control rules and performance indicators, as well as stakeholder roles and implementation considerations. The sessions were complemented by hands-on activities allowing participants to apply what they’d learned.
On the second day, experts from the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC ) and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) presented ongoing multi-stock MSE frameworks, currently under development to advance MPs for tropical tuna stocks. Participants discussed the technical aspects, opportunities and challenges of these approaches, helping prepare them for upcoming tRFMO meetings on MPs and MSEs.
A growing global movement toward robust management procedures
Management procedures are increasingly recognized as one of the most effective tools for long‑term, precautionary fisheries management. Their adoption has already delivered measurable gains in several tuna fisheries worldwide, helping rebuild stocks and stabilize catch levels.
The workshop in Guatemala contributes to a broader global effort to equip countries with the skills needed to design, test and implement MSE‑based management procedures. Through the guidance of OSPESCA leadership and the workshop, Central American countries are strengthening their ability to manage shared resources sustainably and cooperatively.
“This training represents an important step toward strengthening knowledge in our region,” said Yesuri Pino, a Biologist with the Aquatic Resources Authority of Panama. “It helps ensure that decisions are science-based and, at the same time, allows us to contribute to the implementation of management approaches that benefit both our fisheries and our communities.”
The workshop in Guatemala was hosted by The Ocean Foundation, with support from the Common Oceans Tuna Project, Oceankind, the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and The Pew Charitable Trusts.
About the Common Oceans Tuna Project
Led by FAO and funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Common Oceans Tuna Project brings together all five tuna RFMOs, scientific institutions, governments, civil society and the private sector to promote responsible, efficient and sustainable tuna fisheries while conserving biodiversity in a changing ocean environment.
To learn more:
Earlier this month, Ash Wilson (The Pew Charitable Trusts) and I co-convened a workshop titled ‘Operationalizing Ecosystem-Based Management of Forage Species using Management Strategy Evaluation.’ The workshop was part of the program at the Small Pelagic Fish International Symposium hosted by ICES, PICES, and FAO in La Paz, Mexico. Held on May 4, 2026, the half-day workshop brought together 25 participants working in management strategy evaluation (MSE), ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM), and the intersection between the two. Through expert presentations and breakout discussions, workshop attendees explored how MSE-tested management procedures, also known as harvest strategies, can help advance ecosystem-based management approaches for forage fisheries under increasing environmental uncertainty.
Why MSE for forage species?
Forage species (e.g., sardine, anchovy, herring) play a critical role in the marine food web, linking low and high trophic levels by providing a key prey resource for predators such as marine mammals, seabirds, and large commercially important fishes (e.g., tunas, billfishes). However, their abundance in space and time is highly dependent on changing environmental conditions. Effective management of these species therefore poses a challenge, as patterns in their recruitment and biomass are driven by multiple interacting ecosystem and environmental factors, the individual impacts of which can be difficult to tease apart and simulate. Additionally, perceived relationships between the environment and forage fish population dynamics often break down over time, leading to high uncertainty in estimating recruitment and natural mortality using traditional stock assessment methods.
MSE is an ideal tool for addressing these management challenges for forage species, as MSE frameworks can be built to capture a wide range of possible ecosystem conditions and uncertainties, allowing managers to identify management procedures that remain robust under changing environmental and ecosystem conditions.
Showcasing emerging tools and real-world applications
In six presentations delivered by experts in the field, the workshop showcased existing research initiatives, case studies, and emerging tools designed to incorporate ecosystem considerations into fisheries management through MSE.
Three case study presentations highlighted regional examples of ecosystem considerations in MSE.
Regional discussions reveal shared challenges
Following the presentations, participants broke into regional discussion groups, where they discussed region- and stock-specific considerations for operationalizing EBFM, including identifying key drivers of variability, potential ecosystem indicators, critical data needs (including for building MSE frameworks), and the remaining hurdles to bridge science and management. Example fisheries discussed included Pacific sardine in the California Current, Gulf of Mexico menhaden, Bay of Biscay anchovy, Iberian sardine, and North Sea and Central Baltic herring. Across stocks, workshop participants repeatedly identified the need for a better mechanistic understanding of links between environmental variability and fish population dynamics in order to successfully incorporate ecosystem considerations into management. Similar ecosystem drivers, including upwelling and predation mortality, were identified across systems. At the same time, possible or existing approaches for incorporating ecosystem information into management (including MSE frameworks) varied among regions and species, reflecting differences in available data, ecosystem dynamics, and institutional contexts.
Looking ahead
A summary of the workshop, including a synthesis of breakout group findings on common challenges, shared ecosystem drivers, feasible indicators for MSE frameworks, and opportunities for collaboration across regions and forage stocks, will be published in the July 2026 edition of PICES Press. Additionally, key takeaways from presentations and discussions will be incorporated into a joint paper with other Symposium convenors and attendees, to be submitted to a special issue of a peer-reviewed journal.
Overall, the workshop highlighted the growing momentum and available tools for using MSE to operationalize ecosystem-based fisheries management for forage species and other stocks. As climate change and increasing environmental variability continue to impact ecosystems and fishery dynamics, implementing ecosystem-informed management approaches including MSE will become even more important for supporting sustainable fisheries.
©FAO/Giulio Napolitano
Blog originally published on FAO’s Common Oceans Program Newsroom.
Focus on All Tunas 2028 for the adoption of long-term harvest strategies
28/04/2026
Boston – Tuna harvesting and sustainability generated widespread interest during events staged by the Common Oceans Program Tuna project at the Seafood Expo North America in March.
The Seafood Expo North America (SENA) is the continent’s largest seafood show. This year’s event from 15-17 March drew more than 20,000 industry professionals and experts who exchanged views on the current state and the future of the seafood sector.
The role of tunas, some of the most important seafood species in overall volume and value, was advanced by the GEF-funded Common Oceans Tuna project through a booth and panel discussion to promote the All Tunas 2028 initiative.
All Tunas 2028 aims to give seafood retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and others a voice to promote adoption of harvest strategies for the most commercially valuable tuna stocks by the end of 2028.
More than 60 people attended the panel discussion which highlighted the importance of management procedures (MPs), also known as harvest strategies, and their impact on the seafood supply chain as well as the vital role played by Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs).
Shana Miller, project director, International Fisheries Conservation at The Ocean Foundation, said: “SENA provided a valuable opportunity to engage with an often-underrepresented RFMO stakeholder—the seafood supply chain professionals who bring fish from vessel to consumer.”
“Harvest strategies are essential for ensuring the long-term fishery stability and abundance that underpin their businesses,” Miller said. “That’s why they support All Tunas 2028, and HarvestStrategies.org is proud to be the online home of this important initiative.”
Katy Hladki, senior officer, markets, international fisheries at The Pew Charitable Trusts, stressed the importance of SENA as an opportunity to engage with stakeholders across the supply chain.
“We were excited to see such strong interest in the All Tunas 2028 initiative,” Hladki said. “It was a great kick off to this important work to bring market voices to RFMOs and support the timely adoption of harvest strategies for all tuna stocks.”
RFMOs are critical for the management of the world’s most valuable fisheries, yet the seafood markets and in particular, consumers, rarely participate in their decisions.
Industry taking the next step to connect RFMOs with fisheries and markets
Nicole Condon, the director of Brand & Social Impact at Oddisea SuperFrozen and Vice-Chair of the board at Sea Pact, said industry players, like Sea Pact, were taking the next step in RFMO engagement to connect fisheries and the markets in which we operate.
“We often find a gap between in-market sustainability demands—including new regulatory requirements—and the adoption and implementation of critical steps, such as harvest strategies, at the RFMO level,” Condon said.
“We must do more to not only relay the urgency of this work for our own operations further down the supply chain, but also do more to build trust as reliable partners in this process. That is why we support initiatives like All Tunas 2028.”
Across the five tuna RFMOs, MPs have been adopted for a subset of the world’s commercially important tuna stocks, covering more than half global tuna production. However, progress remains uneven.
Of the 23 RFMO‑managed commercially important tuna stocks, only ten currently have an agreed management procedures in place. Eight others are at advanced stages of MP development, while for four stocks, development has yet to be initiated.
That means a substantial share of global tuna production continues to be managed through stock‑assessment‑based decision‑making, alongside ongoing efforts to broaden the application of management procedures
FAO has developed an e-learning series, Management Procedures for sustainable tuna fisheries in collaboration with The Ocean Foundation, the ISSF and The Pew Charitable Trusts. The series introduces core concepts behind management procedures, or harvest strategies, and step-by-step training that aims to strengthen the capacity of fisheries professionals to actively engage in their development and implementation.
Harvest strategies provide for pre-agreed decision-making frameworks that determine allowable fishing levels under different stock conditions. They aim to keep fisheries within sustainable limits while reducing the risk of stock decline.
To learn more:
https://elearning.fao.org/course/mp-series-en
https://www.fao.org/in-action/commonoceans/en
The 10th meeting of the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) will take place in Osaka, Japan, from April 14-17, 2026, where the Commission will consider management futures for its priority stocks. This meeting is a pivotal moment for the NPFC to advance the development of management procedures (MPs), also known as harvest strategies, which are essential for ensuring long-term sustainability. The NPFC should progress development of the Pacific saury MP and should take steps to initiate management strategy evaluation (MSE) processes for other priority stocks.
Seeing it through: the Pacific saury MP
The most recent Pacific saury stock assessment showed a slight increasing trend in stock size over the last five years, although the stock is still considered to be in poor condition. The stock is currently managed by an interim harvest control rule (HCR), which was adopted in 2024 and intended only to be a short-term management strategy. The Pacific saury measure calls for the development of an MSE-tested MP by the 2027 Commission meeting, but proposals this year from Japan and Korea suggest pushing this date back to 2028 due to concerns over stock assessment reliability. The proposals also propose reducing catch limits on Pacific saury due to low stock size.
The timeline for adopting the MP should not be delayed until 2028 – the Small Working Group on Management Strategy Evaluation for Pacific saury (SWG MSE PS) (the science-management dialogue (SMD) group created for the saury MSE process) has had three years to complete the technical framework, and disagreement amongst member governments on the acceptability of the stock assessment should not stall the MSE process. Rather, MSE allows for exploration of the effectiveness of multiple different management approaches, all of which are tested for robustness under key uncertainties. For example, if a single assessment model cannot be agreed upon for inclusion as the stock status indicator in the MP, MSE can test data-based or empirical MPs, where the estimation method relies on a simpler stock status indicator (e.g., catch per unit effort/CPUE index, abundance survey). The MSE process can therefore address members’ concerns about the assessment, making it that much more important to develop the full MP on schedule.
A proposal submitted by Taiwan suggests revising the Pacific saury interim HCR to extend stock rebuilding targets, noting concerns that the most recent stock assessment may be overly pessimistic as their fleets have seen recent increases in the CPUE of Pacific saury. This argument should be used with caution, as an increased CPUE index in a specific region does not necessarily imply increased health of the overall stock – it could reflect “hyperstability” in the index, a situation where the CPUE stays level or increases despite an overall decline in the stock. Hyperstability in CPUE indices can occur due to changes in the species distribution (i.e., aggregating to smaller, dense patches of favorable habitat) or increasing fishing efficiency, and misinterpretation of hyperstability has led to disastrous consequences in other fisheries (e.g., the collapse of the northern cod fishery). Additionally, re-opening and revising the interim HCR would divert SWG MSE PS technical capacity away from completing the full MSE, which is the tasking of the SWG. The Commission should recommend that the SWG MSE PS continue to focus on developing the MP for adoption on schedule next year rather than revise the interim HCR; any proposed revisions to the HCR should be evaluated as part of the full MSE.
Opportunities for other species: chub mackerel, sablefish, and squid
While not explicitly on the agenda for discussion, there are opportunities at NPFC to pursue MPs for other priority stocks. For chub mackerel, MP efforts are currently stalled due to resistance to begin a new MSE process before the MP for Pacific saury is completed. However, with an assessment completed and accepted last year, now is the perfect time to begin building an MSE for chub mackerel. The Commission should add language to the chub mackerel measure, which is slated to be revised in Osaka, tasking the NPFC Scientific Committee (SC) to begin MP development and consider funding an external expert to alleviate internal capacity burdens.The Commission agreed to similar language at last year’s Commission meeting, but it was ultimately omitted due to clerical errors; it must be re-added this year. As for sablefish, some exploratory MSE work is being conducted by Canada that should be considered at future intersessional meetings.
NPFC priority stocks also include two squid species – neon flying squid and Japanese flying squid. While there is no established workplan towards the development of an MP for either species, there is a recognized need for squid MPs that consider their short-lived nature and responsiveness to environmental conditions. Preliminary MSE modeling work for neon flying squid was conducted last year, and The Pew Charitable Trusts has now partnered with Blue Matter Science to develop MSE tools and MPs that are tailored to short-lived species such as squid using the openMSE platform. An introduction to the project was presented at the Small Scientific Committee for Neon Flying Squid (SSC NFS) in March 2026, and the work will be continually developed with the guidance of NPFC scientist input. This project provides free science and tool development that can be heavily shaped by the SSC NFS to meet their needs for either priority squid stock. The NPFC should therefore continue to follow and support this work, including encouraging member governments to collaborate with the project developers, to ensure the sustainable long-term management of these priority species.
Building efficient science-management dialogue
To alleviate capacity concerns and make progress on MP development for additional stocks, the Commission should consider the creation of a dedicated, overarching SMD group for MSE processes. Having one single group dedicated to reviewing and overseeing ongoing MSE efforts at NPFC would be a more effective use of NPFC time and personnel capacity than having a separate SWG for each stock (as has begun with the SWG MSE PS). There is an existing example of this framework at the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC); the IOTC Technical Committee on Management Procedures (TCMP) includes managers and stakeholders, promotes capacity building, and makes recommendations to the Commission regarding all MSE efforts that are under development at IOTC. Terms of reference (TORs) for a similar SMD at NPFC should be developed this year for approval by the SC in December 2026 and adoption by the Commission next year.
By taking these steps to solidify commitment to current and future MP development efforts using MSE, NPFC can lay the groundwork in Osaka for long-term responsible and adaptive management across all its priority stocks.
A decade worth of work and discussions on South Pacific albacore tuna (SPA) reached an important milestone at the 22nd Regular Session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) that was held in Manila, Philippines last December with the adopting of the management procedure (MP), also known as a harvest strategy.
The adoption of the MP at WCPFC22 was critical for two reasons. Firstly, the urgent need to improve catch per unit effort (CPUE) and provide stability. Secondly, the WCPFC’s credibility in terms of maintaining its commitment to establishing harvest strategies for the priority species in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO). The SPA MP was scheduled to be adopted in 2024, but this was not achieved. Whilst this may be deemed as a “failure,” all was not lost because the extra year of discussions in 2025 helped progress the discussions on some of the key elements of the MP, especially with respect to the harvest control rule (HCR).
One of the key aspects of the MP is the HCR. At the beginning of 2025, there were more than 30 possible HCRs for consideration. Other important decisions required include the area of application, the fisheries to be covered (i.e., longline and troll), and the level of catch to be assigned for the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO) and north of 10°S, including the catch taken from the exclusive economic zones (EEZs) of Tokelau and Tuvalu.
As the Chair of the WCPFC, my top priority for the WCPFC22 meeting in Manila was the adoption of the SPA MP. This was achieved on the afternoon of the last day of the meeting when the members reached an agreement of the HCR. This was an excellent achievement for the WCPFC and largely due to the strong efforts by the members to make difficult compromises to reach agreement.
The next critical step is the adoption of the implementing measure. A proposal was presented by the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) membership at the WCPFC22 in Manila and will be a key document for the 2026 discussions. A dedicated workshop is scheduled to be held in June 2026, and this will be the first session of discussions on the SPA implementing measure within the WCPFC.
One of the key elements that the WCPFC will be discussing at the SPA workshop and subsequent discussions leading towards the 2026 WCPFC meeting is allocation. More specifically, discussions on how much of the total allowable catch is allocated for the high seas and how much for the EEZs of the coastal states.
Article 10.3 of the Convention lists the elements to be considered when developing the criteria for allocation, and it is anticipated that these will be discussed extensively during the upcoming workshop. I am confident that the WCPFC membership will draw from the success from Manila and will continue the work together to reach agreement and adopt the implementing measure for SPA in December.
Josie Tamate, a distinguished Niuean civil servant and the Chair of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), stands as a guiding force of leadership. Her journey, rooted in dedication, saw her appointed as the first Polynesian to helm the WCPFC, the governing body for the world’s largest tuna fishery. With a friendly face and a jovial smile, Josie brings warmth to her role, exemplifying the spirit of her island home.
Last year presented an opportunity to adopt a management procedure (MP) for Pacific bluefin tuna—the world’s most valuable fish. Doing so would have placed all four global bluefin stocks under MP-based management. Although the management strategy evaluation (MSE) provided a strong scientific foundation for selecting an MP, the parties were unable to reach consensus, and the decision was deferred to 2026.
We’re thrilled to report that deliberations resumed earlier this month in Newport Beach, California, USA, with significant progress toward adoption this year. Because Pacific bluefin tuna roam the 5,000+ miles across the Pacific, they are jointly managed by the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) Northern Committee via an aptly named group called the Joint Working Group (JWG). It was the JWG that met last week.
The number of key players is relatively small for an international fishery. Major fishing nations include Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan in the western Pacific and the United States and Mexico in the eastern Pacific. In Newport Beach, these parties worked constructively toward consensus on an MP aimed at securing the species’s hard-won recovery and ensuring a sustainable, abundant future for both the stock and the fishery.
Preliminarily coined the “Newport Beach Management Procedure,” the proposed model-based MP is a “hockey-stick” style harvest control rule (HCR). It includes a target fishing mortality rate of FSPR27.5% (i.e., the fishing level that would leave 27.5% of the unfished biomass per recruit in the water), and two control points: 20% of unfished biomass (SSBF=0) and the limit reference point of 7.7% of unfished biomass. 20%SSBF=0 corresponds to the species’s recently achieved rebuilding target, while 7.7%SSBF=0 was identified for tropical tunas as a threshold below which stock productivity could be impaired.
While agreement on these core MP elements marks a major milestone, several important details remain to be resolved when the JWG reconvenes in Nagasaki, Japan, July 8-11. Members will need to agree to the relative impact of the western and eastern Pacific fisheries, as well as measures to limit catches on the smallest juvenile fish, among other provisions. Nevertheless, the most complex negotiation—the agreement on the harvest control rule—has now been successfully completed.
If finalized this year, the adoption of an MP for Pacific bluefin tuna would represent a historic achievement in international fisheries management, completing the global transition of all bluefin stocks to science-based, pre-agreed management frameworks. Such an outcome would not only help safeguard the long-term health of the species, but also provide greater predictability and stability for the fisheries and communities that depend on it, demonstrating what is possible when nations collaborate around shared scientific goals. We urge JWG members to bring the collaborative atmosphere fostered in Newport to Nagasaki this summer.