Have you ever wondered what a Harvest Strategy is? The concept might seem unfamiliar to many, but imagine playing a board game with your friends and family. The game you are about to play has evolved over time, incorporating innovative changes, updates, and additional features. Before starting, you gather around the kitchen table to read the instructions carefully. The updated game offers different pathways or strategies to win, but you must agree on the rules and choose one pathway for the entire game.
Now, let’s shift our focus to the world of fish, specifically tuna. Visualize hundreds of tuna swimming in our oceans, forming a single stock. These tunas, like any other living organism, undergo a life cycle from birth, growth, breeding, and eventually death. While they have their own growth and survival strategies, they face numerous threats, such as predation, disease, competition, and old age. These threats contribute to what is known as “natural mortality”, in other words: fish dying because of natural events. However, this is not the only concern.
Considering that the global annual consumption of aquatic foods reached approximately 20.2 kg per capita in 20201, aquatic foods serve as a significant protein source ensuring food security for humanity. To meet these resource requirements, thinking about how we fish becomes imperative. Fishing, an ancient human activity that has existed for thousands of years, employs different methods and gears depending on the targeted species. In addition to natural mortality, experts must consider “fishing mortality”, as fish stocks are prone to fishing, posing the greatest threat to commercial and other related fish species caught accidentally.
It can be argued that certain fishing methods have different ecological impacts, with some being more sustainable than others. When we examine a fishery closely, we realize it is far from a trivial activity. Ecological impacts are just one aspect to consider; socioeconomic factors also play vital roles. The fishing industry employs approximately 33 million people worldwide, from processing to preparing or selling, with an estimated economic value of landings of USD 20 billion. Tuna alone accounts for approximately 7% of this total1.
Returning to the game analogy, instead of playing with friends and family, imagine that the players are fishers and other stakeholders of a tropical tuna fishery. They all are competitive and want to win, and they each have their own goals and expectations, creating a complex dynamic. Fishers may aim to catch as much fish as possible in the shortest time, while NGOs may advocate for sustainable fishing practices and train communities, and scientists may have a more objective stance as they inform decision-makers based on data analysis. However, all players are interconnected, and the game becomes more complex when data consistently shows declining tuna trends, potentially leading to a scenario where there are no more tuna to harvest.
An example of a tuna species facing challenges is the yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) in the Indian Ocean, which has been classified as overfished and subject to overfishing since 20182. Overfishing refers to depleting the stock of fish below the level that can sustain maximum yield.
To avoid this worst-case scenario and achieve harmonious and beneficial outcomes for all players, fisheries management becomes crucial. This is where a Harvest Strategy, also known as Management Procedure or Management Strategy, comes into play. Harvest Strategies are used by countries worldwide, including Indonesia, which launched its own Harvest Strategy for Tropical Tuna in Indonesian Archipelagic Waters in June 2023 with MDPI’s active support.
The launch of the Harvest Strategy for Tropical Tuna in Indonesia marks a significant milestone in the nation’s commitment to sustainable fisheries management. The involvement of diverse stakeholders, including MDPI, has played a crucial role in supporting data-driven decision-making and stakeholder engagement. The Harvest Strategy provides a roadmap for responsible fishing practices, balancing ecological, economic, and social objectives. Continued efforts and awareness raising are essential to effectively manage tuna resources, protect marine ecosystems, and support the future of Indonesia’s tuna fisheries and coastal communities.
A Harvest Strategy is a pre-agreed framework based on scientific advice and the best available data. By utilizing data and information about the fishery, experts can simulate different long-term scenarios, taking into account uncertainty and using computer models, to predict how stocks might behave3. This strategy is similar to choosing a pathway before starting the game. Experts can test and compare different scenarios based on fisheries science against agreed-upon management objectives, aiming to prevent stock collapse. This is known as a Management Strategy Evaluation, and is a key component of a Harvest Strategy3. If the available data for a Harvest Strategy is accurate and reliable, it could reduce the need for costly operations like stock assessments.
A Harvest Strategy follows a closed-loop process with different phases and a set of actions prior to its establishment. This includes monitoring and assessing the fishery, adjusting fishing levels based on harvest control rules4 (actions that describe how management measures should be adjusted in response to indicators of stock status), employing specific management measures, and enforcing and monitoring those rules to ensure that stakeholders are compliant. Collaboration among stakeholders is key to successful fisheries management, just like the cooperation among players in a game. Fishers, governments, NGOs, researchers, and other stakeholders must work together as a team to achieve sustainable outcomes. They can all contribute by collecting and sharing data, monitoring the fishery, sharing their expertise, and ensuring compliance with rules.
In conclusion, the Harvest Strategy is a game-changer for sustainable fisheries management. By incorporating scientific advice, data-driven decision-making, and collaboration among stakeholders, we can navigate the complexities of fisheries management and safeguard fish stocks for future generations. Just like in a board game, strategic planning and cooperation are essential for success!
About the Author: Kai Garcia Neefjes (he/him/his) is a Program Associate Specialist at Masyarakat dan Perikanan Indonesia (MDPI), a non-profit organization aspires to empower coastal communities in achieving sustainability by supporting community organization and harnessing market forces. You can contact him at kai.garcia@mdpi.or.id or visit www.mdpi.or.id to learn more about tropical tuna harvest strategy in Indonesia.
References
[1] FAO, The state of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2022. Towards Blue Transformation. (Rome: FAO, 2022), 51-82,
www.fao.org/3/cc0461en/cc0461en.pdf
[2] Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, 17th Working Party on Tropical Tunas Report. (IOTC, 2015),
www.fao.org/3/bf342e/bf342e.pdf
[3] CSIRO, Key concepts for Harvest Strategies and Management Strategy Evaluation. (CSIRO, n.d.).
[4] “Report of the 2018 joint Tuna RFMO Management Strategy Evaluation working group meeting,” June 13-15, 2018, www.tuna-org.org/Documents/tRFMO_MSE_2018_TEXT_final.pdf
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Pacific saury, a small fish with a big role in the ecosystem, is also an important food source in several nations. However, the stock is both overfished and experiencing overfishing. To rebuild Pacific saury and sustain a productive and predictable fishery, the North Pacific Fisheries Commission (NPFC) is developing a management procedure (MP).
NPFC will convene its second Small Working Group on Management Strategy Evaluation for Pacific Saury (SWG MSE PS) on Sept. 12-13. This meeting follows the success of the first meeting in February. NPFC established this science-management dialogue group (SMD) in 2021, a forum for scientists, managers and stakeholders to work together as they strive to develop a MP and set a transparent and collective vision for the Pacific saury fishery.
NPFC aims to develop both an interim harvest control rule (HCR) by 2023 and a full MP, to be tested via management strategy evaluation (MSE), in three to five years. To kickstart this process, participants received comprehensive presentations at the first meeting that detailed best practices for MSE development and initial possibilities for a Pacific saury MSE. The group made progress towards the development of the interim HCR and corresponding short-term management objectives.
While a short-term HCR will improve the management of Pacific saury, only a full MSE-tested MP can provide precautionary and predictable management in the long term. An MSE identifies the best performing MP among competing objectives whilst balancing tradeoffs and accounting for uncertainties in the population, fishery and environment. As such, development of an MSE should take place at the same time as the short-term HCR.
At the upcoming meeting, participants will be asked to discuss management objectives and technical matters on operating models and performance measures, among other items related to the development of a MP.
A growing list of MSEs have been explored globally for shorter-lived species, including South Pacific jack mackerel and Northeast Atlantic mackerel. Pacific saury has a lifespan of two years, and so, NPFC can look to these other management bodies’ successes in developing MSEs for shorter-lived species as the MP is developed.
Initiation of the MSE process must not wait until the short-term HCR is complete. Undertaking these two processes simultaneously would benefit the NPFC in several ways. First, it allows the MSE to be informed by the progress made and decisions needed to complete the short-term HCR. Second, it would provide for a smoother transition between the two management measures.
It’s clear that MPs can provide a necessary solution to rebuild the Pacific saury stock – and the valuable fisheries that target it. Now it’s time to dive into the work.
A historic opportunity to adopt the first ever harvest strategy by a regional fisheries management organization dedicated to tunas (tRFMO) in the Pacific Ocean went unfinished this week at the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission’s (IATTC) 100th meeting held in Phoenix, Arizona, USA. After seven years of development, including management strategy evaluation (MSE) testing and a series of stakeholder meetings, a fully specified harvest strategy was ready for adoption for north Pacific albacore. While member states succeeded in adopting a proposal co-sponsored by Canada, Japan, and the USA that contained management objectives, reference points, and a monitoring strategy, they did not cross the finish line. The omission of a harvest control rule (HCR), the operational component of the harvest strategy that sets fishing levels based on population size, means north Pacific albacore management stays essentially unchanged on the water. IATTC will need to return to this issue next year to add a mechanism and trigger for management that can achieve the measure’s vision for the future, a hallmark of the harvest strategies approach.
But, there is still hope that this harvest strategy can make its way across the finish line in the Pacific this year! North Pacific albacore is jointly managed by both the IATTC and the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCFPC). The baton is now in WCPFC’s hands to determine how the harvest control rule will operate in the context of the full harvest strategy. Managers will have their next shot to recommend a fully specified harvest strategy at WCPFC’s Northern Committee meeting in October, helping to tee up adoption at WCPFC’s December Commission meeting. IATTC can then follow suit next year, especially as the measure passed this week includes a directive for IATTC to adopt an HCR in 2023.
While the population of north Pacific albacore is healthy, neither overfished nor experiencing overfishing, a harvest strategy offers predictable and effective management that will ensure the fishery stays on track. If the stock takes an expected turn due to environmental or biological factors, the HCR will kick in, providing sustainability while still maximizing catch. The fishery needs action now – history has shown that waiting for population collapse to pass management is a recipe for disaster. WCPFC still can make this harvest strategy happen in 2022, starting with the Northern Committee in October.
In a landmark decision by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), managers have adopted a management procedure (MP) for bigeye tuna. Sponsored by Australia, the Maldives, Pakistan, Tanzania, South Africa, and the European Union, the proposal received broad support from member governments before adoption was finalized at the close of the IOTC Commission meeting today. The adoption of this MP sets two remarkable precedents for regional fisheries management organizations dedicated to tunas (tRFMOs), as IOTC has adopted the first full MP for any tropical tuna species and becomes the first to rely on harvest control rules (HCR) to manage more than one species, namely bigeye and skipjack tuna.
The final MP will set a catch limit for bigeye starting in 2024, the first ever cap on fishing mortality for the population, which is currently undergoing overfishing. The MP includes a directive to avoid overfishing and an overfished state with a 60% probability while the selected harvest control rule takes a “hockey stick” approach, whereby catch rates increase as the population increases, up to a defined target level. Through extensive management strategy evaluation (MSE) testing, the MP is designed to achieve the Commission’s goals, regardless of the inherent uncertainty about the species, fisheries, and future environmental conditions.
Eight years in the making, IOTC has undertaken a rigorous scientific modelling process, coupled with an inclusive dialogue among scientists, managers and other stakeholders, to convert that science into a tangible management procedure for bigeye tuna. After attending this week’s meeting, Shana Miller, Project Director of The Ocean Foundation’s International Fisheries Conservation Project and www.harveststrategies.org partner, said, “Congratulations to IOTC, led by Australia and its co-sponsors, for taking this critical step to solidify a sustainable future for bigeye tuna in the Indian Ocean, the highest priced of all tropical tunas. In so doing, IOTC solidified itself as a leader of the harvest strategies approach among tRFMOs.”
Today’s MP adoption is but one of many more to come at the tRFMOs. The future is bright: IOTC alone expects to finalize MPs for swordfish, albacore, and yellowfin tuna by 2024, which will benefit fish, fishermen, seafood markets, and consumers for years to come.
May is gearing up to be a big month for the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), as members plan to hold four policy and science meetings over the next two weeks. Two of those meetings – the Technical Committee on Management Procedures (TCMP) on May 13-14 and IOTC’s annual Commission meeting on May 16-20, will be crucial to the development and adoption of the RFMO’s harvest strategy portfolio. While a variety of harvest strategies, also known as management procedures (MPs), will be discussed at the TCMP, including those for albacore, skipjack, yellowfin, and swordfish, the big-ticket item will be the bigeye tuna MP. In development since 2014, a draft proposal of a comprehensive bigeye tuna management procedure, submitted by Australia, will be reviewed by the TCMP. Next week’s Commission meeting will then have the tremendous opportunity to adopt the measure, marking IOTC’s first-ever full MP, joining the skipjack tuna harvest control rule as the Commission’s only two pre-agreed frameworks for calculating and recommending catch quotas.
The Commission now has two main decisions to make regarding management objectives and candidate MPs. The management objective for the bigeye tuna fishery includes a mandate to avoid both overfishing and an overfished state, often referred to as being in the “green zone” of the Kobe plot. Objectives should be specific and measurable in the context of management procedures, but the probability by which the final MP must achieve this objective has yet to be decided. As part of the adoption process, the Commission still has to select between a 60% and 70% probability of being in the Kobe green zone in the specified years 2034-2038, with the latter providing a stronger assurance that the MP will be successful and maintain a sustainable stock.
The Commission must also decide between the two final candidate management procedures that the Scientific Committee recommended in 2021 after rigorous management strategy evaluation (MSE) testing. The two candidates are not too different, with both operating under a 3-year management cycle and limiting the fluctuation in catch limits between management periods to 15%. One of the candidate MPs takes a “hockey stick” approach, with catch rates increasing as the population increases, up to a certain population size where the target catch rate levels out resembling a hockey stick when plotting both catch and biomass on an X/Y graph. The other candidate MP relies more on the specified management objective, using internal projections to prescribe a catch limit that can best hone in on and achieve the objective.
Both candidate MPs were able to achieve the prescribed management objective with both a 60% and 70% probability. Performance between the two differs only slightly. The hockey stick MP shows slightly higher average catches while the other has more stable catches, including potentially a higher initial catch. Regardless of which management procedure the Commission selects, they will be choosing one that performs in a robust manner and is likely to succeed.
Although bigeye is not currently overfished, overfishing is occurring, and the MP can help to ensure that fishing levels are again sustainable. This will avoid depleting the stock to a dangerously low level that would likely then require tough management decisions to recover the stock, as IOTC is currently facing for yellowfin tuna.
While a few tuna-RFMOs have a management procedure or harvest control rules in place, no tuna-RFMO has adopted a second MP for another species under its jurisdiction, let alone a full MP for any of the tropical tunas. IOTC will have that chance when Australia champions the bigeye tuna MP at the meeting later this week, and if adopted, the RFMO would position itself as a global leader of management procedures. Hopefully, the dominant bigeye fishing members will join Australia in this effort.
It’s been over a decade since ICCAT began implementing science-based quotas to help recover Atlantic bluefin, the largest of the tuna species. It now appears that the species is on the verge of locking in those gains using one of the most effective forms of management – a harvest strategy. Next week’s Panel 2 meeting, to be held on 9-10 May 2022, offers a tremendous opportunity to make progress. Finalization of the management strategy evaluation (MSE), the simulation-based modelling tool that informs harvest strategy selection, is on track for completion by the 2022 Commission meeting. While the scientific work is largely complete after eight years in development, critical management decisions remain. The scientists will rely on these decision points as they continue their work, making it imperative that this upcoming dialogue proves fruitful and yields concrete outcomes that can be immediately fed into the MSE.
Most importantly, managers will be asked to operationalize management objectives by agreeing on the risk tolerances and associated timeframes that a harvest strategy must meet. First adopted in 2018, the initial conceptual management objectives include clauses that range from concurrently avoiding overfishing and the state of being overfished to limiting the percent change in catch quotas between management periods. Now it’s time to fill in the blanks of Resolution 18-03. To ensure an abundant future for both the species and fisheries, precautionary objectives would include a high probability (e.g., ≥70%) of achieving a healthy stock and a low probability (e.g., ≤10%) of reaching a dangerously small stock size (known as Blim).
In addition to objectives, managers must approve a path forward for narrowing down the current list of candidate harvest strategies, including so-called “tuning.” Tuning levels the playing field and allows an MSE to compare apples to apples. It requires all candidate harvest strategies to achieve a common performance level for one management objective, and then relative performance against other objectives can be compared. For example, in the case of the Atlantic bluefin MSE, all candidates must achieve a certain population size in 30 years relative to the population size that can produce maximum sustainable yield. Once they are “tuned” to achieve that level, one can compare relative catches and stability in catches of the harvest strategy options. For a common population status, ICCAT might opt to cull a candidate harvest strategy that has the lowest catch, for example.
While the main decision points for next week include endorsing tuning processes and operationalizing management objectives, the meeting will also touch on other necessary discussions surrounding the harvest strategy framework and path forward.
It’s a tall order for a two-day meeting, but the scientists have done an extraordinary job updating the MSE and preparing comprehensive results for review by managers. Now, it’s up to the managers to make the necessary decisions that will allow the development process to progress, ensuring that this precedent-setting harvest strategy will be adopted for Eastern and Western Atlantic bluefin tuna at ICCAT in 2022. At a recent webinar on harvest strategies at ICCAT, 100% of participants agreed that ICCAT should prioritize the implementation of the bluefin tuna harvest strategy at its upcoming Commission meeting. ICCAT and Panel 2 must heed this call, echoed from many others, managers, scientists, and stakeholders alike, and continue development without delay.
2021 marked a significant year for the proliferation of harvest strategies across tuna regional fishery management organizations (tRFMOs). First introduced to tRFMOs with the adoption of a harvest strategy for southern bluefin tuna a decade ago, this approach is now under development or in place at every single tRFMO, including in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. Harvest strategies are now being called upon across the globe to transition to science-based, precautionary frameworks to manage a breadth of species. The result is greater transparency, inclusivity, stability, and sustainability in management of these ecologically important and commercially valuable fisheries.
In a momentous step, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) adopted its first comprehensive harvest strategy (also known as a management procedure) for north Atlantic albacore tuna last month, which will help lock in sustainable management and predictable market supply of this stock moving forward. While ICCAT had already adopted a harvest control rule (HCR) in 2017, additional specifications were needed to convert the albacore HCR into a full harvest strategy including details on the data collection and analysis methods used to trigger the HCR, and an exceptional circumstances protocol. In November, ICCAT also set the stage for adoption of a harvest strategy for Atlantic bluefin tuna next year. The new western Atlantic bluefin measure established management for 2022 only, leaving 2023 management to be set through a harvest strategy. And, three dialogue meetings among scientists, managers, and other stakeholders are also slotted for next year, giving ICCAT members ample opportunity to provide input into bluefin harvest strategies and better understand the options before selecting a final harvest strategy at next November’s meeting.
The Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), too, has further cemented its dedication to the development of harvest strategies for its highly valuable fishery for skipjack, bigeye, yellowfin and South Pacific albacore tunas, through the scheduling of their first scientist-manager dialogue group meeting, which was first recommended by the Scientific Committee in 2017. Slotted for August 2022, this group will provide a forum for iterative exchange between managers and scientists to develop a transparent, collective vision for the stocks and fisheries. While WCPFC failed to adopt target reference points for bigeye and yellowfin tunas, there has never been a louder call from industry to advance harvest strategies in the region, bolstered by the Marine Stewardship Council’s (MSC) June 2023 deadline to adopt harvest strategies or risk losing their ecolabel certification. Also at its annual meeting this month, WCPFC restated its commitment to adopt harvest strategies for skipjack and south Pacific albacore in 2022, which would allow MSC fisheries to retain their certifications for those stocks. While the science will likely be ready, WCPFC’s managers have a great deal of work to carry out next year to enable adoption. The long overdue dialogue meeting will be critical to that effort.
Just east of the WCPFC, the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) adopted a new tropical tuna conservation and management measure at its October meeting, which now includes a directive to establish harvest strategies, starting with bigeye tuna. IATTC is using management strategy evaluation (MSE), a computer simulation tool that projects a fishery years into the future under a range of scenarios, to develop a harvest strategy for the stock by 2024, as is noted in the newly adopted conservation measure.
In the Indian Ocean, the development of harvest strategies is far along for bigeye and yellowfin. The Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) should be heralded for the smooth and efficient development of the scientific elements needed to develop a harvest strategy, with bigeye tuna likely ready for adoption next year following substantial progress building the bigeye MSE framework in 2021. MSE processes are also underway for albacore and swordfish. Lessons from skipjack, however, where the catch limit has been exceeded in every year since HCR adoption in 2016, underscore the importance of agreeing to a quota allocation scheme to ensure science based TACs set through harvest strategies are not exceeded.
A mere decade since the adoption of the first tRFMO harvest strategy at the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), this approach has become the gold standard for management, as it ensures the future sustainability and stability of tuna fisheries, benefiting fish, fishermen, and consumers for years to come. As of 2021, all tRFMOs have concrete commitments to develop and adopt harvest strategies within a specified timeframe. Within the next few years, the tRFMOs are poised to expand from just two full harvest strategies in place to twenty adopted, and www.harveststrategies.org will be here to report on progress and provide educational resources along the way.
The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) will hold its 27th Regular Meeting of the Commission on 15-23 November, the first Commission meeting since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year’s annual meeting was canceled, and all vital ICCAT business was conducted entirely over email, which made substantive decision-making nearly impossible and pushed critical negotiations to this year’s meeting. Now there is an opportunity to move forward on these important decisions, especially with regard to the development of harvest strategies (called “management procedures” by ICCAT scientists and managers). This year’s meeting can advance ICCAT’s commitment to transition to the management procedure approach by taking the following steps:
Adopt a fully specified management procedure (MP) for North Atlantic albacore. This would be a momentous step for ICCAT, as it will be the Commission’s first fully specified management procedure and only the 2nd MP for any tuna globally. In 2017, ICCAT adopted a harvest control rule (HCR) for Northern albacore, and it was successfully applied again last year to increase the catch limit for 2021 without controversy, even with the cancellation of the 2020 meeting. A transition from the HCR to a full MP will require specification of the data collection and analysis methods used to trigger the HCR, as well as an exceptional circumstances protocol. This will ensure consistent and predictable application of the harvest strategy, as well as provide guidance on how to proceed if MP implementation is not going as anticipated.
Continue advancing the Eastern and Western Atlantic bluefin tuna management strategy evaluation (MSE) by operationalizing management objectives and dedicating sufficient capacity to ensure on-schedule adoption of a full management procedure in 2022. The MSE has been underway since 2014 and is nearing completion, but multiple meetings are needed between now and MP adoption in 2022 to ensure managers and stakeholders have ample opportunity to provide feedback on the MSE. This effort starts with a dedicated pre-meeting on the bluefin MSE on the 12 November. One of the items on that agenda is operationalizing management objectives, which will allow for further refinement of the MSE and a narrowed down list of candidate MPs. Furthermore, this year’s highly uncertain stock assessment for the western population underscores the need to move toward an MSE-based management procedure for the species. As such, this assessment does not provide an adequate basis for making significant changes to the catch limit, especially since the MP will be used to set catch limits for both the western and eastern stocks starting from 2023.
Include bridging language in the new tropical tuna measure to ensure commitment to MP development, starting with Western skipjack tuna. The last couple of years have yielded significant progress on the tropical tuna MSEs, and the workplan calls for MP adoption for Western skipjack in 2023 and other tropical tunas in 2024. Including bridging language in a new proposal signifies that the MSE will be an integral and necessary component of the tropical tuna work in the coming years.
After many years of impressive work by managers and scientists alike to progress these MSEs, ICCAT has reached a pivotal point at this year’s commission meeting where precedent-setting management procedures can be adopted or set up for future adoption. This transition to management procedures will help to modernize ICCAT management, ensuring long-term sustainability, stability, and profitability of its fisheries.