Report of the Fourth Project Steering Committee: Sustainable Management of Tuna Fisheries and Biodiversity Conservation in the ABNJ, Rome, Italy, 11-13 July 2017.

This report presents the results of a Southern Hemisphere stock status assessment of porbeagle shark. The study, along with associated regional studies, was a collaborative one involving many countries with Southern Hemisphere fisheries that catch porbeagles. Participating scientists from Argentina, Chile, Japan, New Zealand and Uruguay contributed data analyses and abundance indices. Our approach combined indicator analyses and a spatially-explicit sustainability risk assessment. Indicator analyses were performed independently for different Southern Hemisphere fisheries and served to characterise local trends in relative abundance based on commercial catch per unit effort (CPUE) data, and trends in size and sex ratio based on biological data.

This document reports on an e-MARIS consolidation and validation workshop on the development of the Electronic Monitoring and Reporting Information System (e-MARIS) initiative. The workshop was held in Cape Town South Africa in October 2017. the document also includes recommendations from the experts attending the workshop, that will serve as basis for further work on the development and implementation of the system.

The workshop aimed at 1. discussing and exchanging information and perspectives towards a broader understanding of the needs and opportunities in the development of capacity regarding ABNJ; 2. contributing information on capacity development to the global deliberations towards a legallybinding international instrument on BBNJ under UNCLOS; and 3. formulating the next steps towards advancing capacity development regarding ABNJ, building on past and ongoing initiatives and experiences (especially the outputs of the Common Oceans Program), and responding to global prescriptions on capacity development in relation to marine resources and their management. PDF

The main aim of this workshop was capacity building of the national observers responsible for collecting data onboard tuna longline vessels operating out of the Republic of Namibia. In many observer programmes, including in Namibia, observers traditionally collect fisheries data only, and have little understanding or training in bycatch-related data collection. This workshop provided training in the use of best practice seabird bycatch mitigation measures and seabird data collection to enhance and accelerate uptake of these measures by fleets operating in critical fishing areas of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.