Sustainable use of Natural Resources
Background
In July 2009, a Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification assessment for the Maldives Pole & Line and Handline Tuna Fisheries was launched upon request of the Maldives Seafood Processors and Exporters Association.
The assessment covers bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin species fished in the Maldives EEZ. This assessment is the first of the kind for tuna species in the Indian Ocean, which provides for 25% of the world’s production in tuna with steady increase in catch since 1982. While skipjack and bigeye stocks are thought to be spared by overfishing, Indian Ocean yellowfin is rated as nearing maximum level of fishing and needing monitoring by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) in 2009.
In the Maldives case, yellowfin catches are around 13,000 tons using pole & line and 7,400 tons using handlines whereas the majority of the catch is made up of skipjack with 95,807 tons caught in 2007 using pole & line and 1,054 tons using handlines. The fishery involves markets in Europe (canned skipjack) and Asia (frozen bigeye and yellowfin) for pole & line and domestic and international markets for handline.
The tuna fishery is one of the most threatened fisheries in the world, mainly due to overfishing which has led to 5 of the 23 identified commercially exploited tuna stocks being overexploited and a further 11 being fully exploited.
Overexploitation has caused declines in tuna stocks and threatens the wider ecosystem by depleting marine biomass and potentially disrupting the trophic chain. Yet, this is one of the biggest food businesses in the world, involving a complex mix of ecological, economic, geographical, political and cultural factors.
Because of this, WWF started addressing tuna at a global network level since 2005 and continues to do so in its geographical and thematic network initiatives (Coastal East Africa, Coral Triangle, Smart Fishing, Market Transformation), with the ultimate goal of ensuring a healthy marine ecosystem with sustainable stocks, providing in a sustainable way the ecological goods and service for food and revenue generation through responsible management and trade of the fishery.
The assessment covers bigeye, skipjack and yellowfin species fished in the Maldives EEZ. This assessment is the first of the kind for tuna species in the Indian Ocean, which provides for 25% of the world’s production in tuna with steady increase in catch since 1982. While skipjack and bigeye stocks are thought to be spared by overfishing, Indian Ocean yellowfin is rated as nearing maximum level of fishing and needing monitoring by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF) in 2009.
In the Maldives case, yellowfin catches are around 13,000 tons using pole & line and 7,400 tons using handlines whereas the majority of the catch is made up of skipjack with 95,807 tons caught in 2007 using pole & line and 1,054 tons using handlines. The fishery involves markets in Europe (canned skipjack) and Asia (frozen bigeye and yellowfin) for pole & line and domestic and international markets for handline.
The tuna fishery is one of the most threatened fisheries in the world, mainly due to overfishing which has led to 5 of the 23 identified commercially exploited tuna stocks being overexploited and a further 11 being fully exploited.
Overexploitation has caused declines in tuna stocks and threatens the wider ecosystem by depleting marine biomass and potentially disrupting the trophic chain. Yet, this is one of the biggest food businesses in the world, involving a complex mix of ecological, economic, geographical, political and cultural factors.
Because of this, WWF started addressing tuna at a global network level since 2005 and continues to do so in its geographical and thematic network initiatives (Coastal East Africa, Coral Triangle, Smart Fishing, Market Transformation), with the ultimate goal of ensuring a healthy marine ecosystem with sustainable stocks, providing in a sustainable way the ecological goods and service for food and revenue generation through responsible management and trade of the fishery.
Bluefin Tuna in the wild
Project Data
- Managing Office: WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office
- Address: WWF Madagascar and West Indian Ocean Programme Office B.P. 738 - Antananarivo 101 - Madagascar
- Phone: + 261 20 22 348 85
Sea side region of Madagascar
Objectives and project specific objectives
Contribute to sustainable management of tuna resources in the Indian Ocean.
- Ensure that WWFs concerns are effectively taken into account in the MSC assessment of the Maldives pole & line and handline tuna fisheries.
- Develop WWF – MWIOPO’s capacity to effectively address tuna management issues in the Indian Ocean.
Tuna in the Indian Ocean
Achievements / Impacts
- A tuna fisheries expert had been contracted to follow closely the MSC assessment.
- Comments of the WWF Network on the draft report for the MSC assessment and scoring of the fisheries were compiled and sent to the certifiers (Moody Marine Ltd).
- A Fisheries Programme Officer had been hired at WWF – MWIOPO to lead the Regional Tuna Fisheries activities of WWF in the Western Indian Ocean.
- WWF – MWIOPO Senior Managers participated to the 1st Seychelles International Conference on Tuna Fisheries (February 2010).
- The Fisheries Programme Officer attended the 14th Session of the IOTC (Indian Ocean Tuna Commission) (Busan, South Korea – 01 to 05 March 2010).
- WWF – MWIOPO contributed to the concept of European Commission Tuna campaign by elaborating a paper on the importance of tuna fisheries for the Island States in the Western Indian Ocean.
WWF staff
Challenges
- Build and start implementing a strategy around the Certification, using the process as a lever for improving management/governance in the Maldives and where possible in the Indian Ocean region.
- Develop a governance (build strong Regional Fisheries Management Organization) and market (use market leverage) strategy for WWF’s tuna engagement in the Indian Ocean.