In light of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, policymakers and fishermen alike were forced to adapt to a different world, both on the water and in the negotiation room. Regardless of this challenge, the work towards the development of harvest strategies in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) has continued with the help of considerable support from The Pacific Community (SPC). To highlight these efforts, Scott et al. published a paper in advance of the 17thRegular Session of the Scientific Committee of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC), held August 11-19, 2021. The report detailed the latest in capacity building and engagement to educate managers, scientists, and stakeholders about all aspects of a harvest strategy by the SPC (WCPFC’s science provider), the WCPFC, the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), and member states.
Most recently, SPC led educational workshops for Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, and Palau in an online format due to ongoing travel restrictions stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, R-Shiny training tools that allow users to explore the performance of a variety of harvest strategies have been developed to promote capacity building, including introductions to harvest control rules and performance indicators, as well as more specialized decision-making tools that explore the preliminary results of management strategy evaluation (MSE) frameworks for skipjack and South Pacific albacore. An online course, hosted on the open-source learning management system Moodle, is also currently in production to offer easy access to a training course that is dedicated to harvest strategies. Funding has been provided for these projects by New Zealand.
Also noted in the report, a science-management dialogue (SMD) process has been recommended as way to continue the discussion and push harvest strategy development forward. A SMD would provide a forum for scientists, managers, and other stakeholders to have an iterative exchange on their visions for the fishery, structure of the harvest strategy, and eventually, selection of a final harvest strategy. Along with the activities noted above, the formal creation of a SMD by the WCPFC in 2021 would provide an ideal environment to progress the development of harvest strategies for the many stocks already undergoing MSE testing.
Harveststrategies.org commends the WCPFC, SPC, and New Zealand for their dedication to educate stakeholders about the harvest strategy development process, their transparency in updating interested parties in these ongoing efforts, and their impressive harnessing of technology that has allowed work to continue in this extraordinary time. This commitment to capacity building offers a great model for how both governments and RFMOs should engage their stakeholders to help build comfort with the harvest strategy approach. WCPFC members should utilize these many tools to better understand harvest strategies – both generally and in the context of specific stocks, in order to progress harvest strategy development toward adoption.
This EU-focused factsheet on the benefits of harvest strategies to European scientists, stakeholders, and managers is now available in 1 additional language: Spanish!
Estrategias de captura: la gestión pesquera del siglo XXI
Estrategias-de-captura-la-gestion-pesquera-del-siglo-XXIThis EU-focused factsheet on the benefits of harvest strategies to European scientists, stakeholders, and managers is now available in 2 additional languages: Portuguese and Italian!
Estratégias de captura: Gestão das Pescas para o Século XXI
Estrategias-de-captura-Gestao-das-Pescas-para-o-Seculo-XXIStrategie di cattura: gestione delle attività di pesca per il XXI secolo
Strategie-di-cattura-gestione-delle-attivita-di-pesca-per-il-XXI-secoloThis EU-focused factsheet on the benefits of harvest strategies to European scientists, stakeholders, and managers is now available in 2 additional languages: French and German! Stay tuned for Portuguese, coming soon.
Stratégies de pêche – la solution de gestion du 21e siècle
Strategies-de-peche-la-solution-de-gestion-du-21e-siecle—
Fangstrategien: Fischereibewirtschaftung für das 21. Jahrhundert
Fangstrategien-Fischereibewirtschaftung-fur-das-21.-JahrhundertIn early February, over 300 participants gathered to attended a webinar, co-hosted by WWF and The Pew Charitable Trusts, to discuss the future of Atlantic bluefin tuna management. A variety of sessions were offered on 4 different topics, including science, markets, IUU, and harvest strategies. If you were unable to attend, read the report below for a detailed summary.
Workshop-on-the-future-of-Atlantic-bluefin-tuna-fisheries-management-and-the-market-ReportChris Shearlock est responsable de la durabilité de la pêche chez Princes Limited, l’un des plus grands groupes de transformation, d’importation et de distribution agroalimentaire en Europe. La société est présente dans le monde entier et gère notamment de grandes installations de transformation du thon sur l’île Maurice, dans l’océan Indien. Dans cette vidéo, M. Shearlock explique l’importance de la mise en place de stratégies de pêche exhaustives, qui sont des cadres préétablis pour la prise de décision concernant la gestion de la pêche, notamment la fixation des quotas. Ces stratégies procurent prévisibilité et stabilité au secteur des produits de la mer et garantissent aux transformateurs et aux clients que les ressources halieutiques essentielles sont gérées de manière responsable.
Brian Jeffriess, un acteur influent sur la scène internationale de la gestion du thon rouge, est le PDG de l’Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna Industry Association. Il est connu pour son rôle actif dans la gestion du thon rouge du sud et comme défenseur de la première heure des stratégies de pêche comme moyen de reconstitution et de gestion des populations de poissons. Une stratégie de pêche est un cadre défini à l’avance pour la prise de décision concernant la gestion des pêcheries, notamment la fixation des quotas. Dans cette vidéo, Jeffriess explique comment une collaboration pour le développement des stratégies de pêche entre les différents acteurs du secteur de la pêche, les scientifiques, les gestionnaires et les autres parties prenantes peut aboutir à une pêche au thon plus durable et plus rentable.
Le professeur émérite Doug Butterworth, de l’université du Cap en Afrique du Sud, est l’un des scientifiques de la pêche les plus respectés au monde. Dans cette vidéo, il explique l’importance des stratégies de pêche en matière de gestion des pêcheries et pourquoi il est essentiel que les organisations régionales de gestion de la pêche au thon déploient ces outils de gestion fondés sur la science.