18 July 2024

At the annual meeting of the Common Oceans Tuna project partners, including tuna regional fisheries management organization (RFMO), industry representatives, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), took stock of progress made in making tuna fisheries more sustainable and provide guidance on the continued work of the project.

This meeting also underscored the partnership's continued global commitment to preserving tuna populations and ensuring the health of our ocean ecosystems through collaborative and informed approaches.

In his opening speech, Jeffrey Griffin, senior coordinator of the FAO GEF unit, noted, “the Tuna project was selected as a best case from the past 30 years of Global Environment Facility (GEF) International Water portfolio.”

“This annual meeting, as the primary policy-setting body for the Tuna project, plays a vital role in guiding and ensuring that we achieve our goals of supporting tuna RFMOs and partners in their work to safeguard tuna populations, ecosystems and securing the livelihoods of communities dependent on them,” Lara Manarangi-Trott said. As chair of the Committee and compliance manager at Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission, Trott emphasized the importance of tuna RFMO Secretariats, executing partners and co-financing partners coming together to review progress under the project, to share information, lessons learned and knowledge generated from the project’s activities and to formalize the work lying ahead.

Every year, commercial tuna fisheries contribute tens of billions of dollars to the world economy, support millions of livelihoods and provide high-quality food for people around the world. Despite their size, the long-term future of tuna fisheries remains dependent on the sustainable management of the 23 stocks of the 7 main commercial tuna species that span the world’s oceans.

Overcapacity of some fleets, illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and the dynamics between tuna harvesting and the environment, such as climate change, can put tuna stocks at risk. The Common Oceans Program Tuna Project aims to address these challenges by promoting more responsible and sustainable tuna fishing. The Tuna Project has contributed to substantial improvements in the sustainability of tuna fisheries by improving fishing techniques, management approaches and capacity building.

Reduce impacts of tuna fisheries on the ecosystem

Tuna project has made progress in reducing impacts of tuna fisheries on ecosystems and its work has been showcased at various international events, most recently during the FAO Committee of Fisheries (COFI) held in July 2024.

The tuna project exhibited the jelly-Fish Aggregating Device (FAD), developed by project partner International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF). This new model of drifting FADs offers sustainability advantages over traditional FADs, as it is both biodegradable and non-entangling, it doesn't use plastic or netting that can harm non-target marine species and ecosystems.

At COFI, the project also highlighted "Skippers workshops”, which bring tuna fishers together with marine scientists to share information on best practices for reducing bycatch. This participatory approach has been instrumental in the adoption of innovative bycatch reduction techniques by tuna purse seine fleets, contributing to more sustainable tuna fisheries.

Improve tuna fisheries management

Strong demand for tuna provides food and jobs for millions but also puts pressure on stocks. Effective stock management is crucial. The Tuna project promotes sustainable fishing through global partnerships to manage tuna fisheries and conserve biodiversity. Between 2014-2019, with the support of the Tuna project, tuna stocks experiencing overfishing fell from 13 to five.

Recently, the Tuna project, together with partner the Ocean Foundation, released a series of knowledge-sharing products on long-term, science-based fishery management on a interactive hub showing how harvest strategies, a pre-agreed approach to determine catch limits for all major commercial tuna stocks, can lead to more sustainable and profitable fisheries.

Consensus on developing harvest strategies has contributed to making tuna fisheries more sustainable and transparent in all five tuna RFMOs. In the coming years, the Tuna project will work to further reduce overfishing and tackle illegal fishing, while enhancing biodiversity conservation through collaboration.

Climate change mitigation and adaptation

Climate change is putting pressure on the ecosystems that tuna fisheries rely on more than ever before. Tuna project has worked with The Pacific Community, Conservation International and Mercator Oceans International in developing a physical-biogeochemical-ecological system model to project the impact of climate change on tuna catches in Pacific Island Countries and Territories. Accurate modelling and forecasting are essential for countries to adapt to shifting abundance and distribution of tuna in their waters and providing such crucial information is key to inform decision-making for policymakers and ocean governance.

Looking ahead, Tuna project will continue to engage tuna RFMOs, partners and scientists to enhance the modelling and is actively exploring possibilities to extend the application to Indian and Atlantic Oceans.

About the Common Oceans Tuna project

The Common Oceans Tuna project brings together a global partnership dedicated to sustainable tuna fisheries aiming to advance responsible tuna fisheries management and biodiversity conservation in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and led by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), it works in collaboration with five regional tuna fisheries management organizations, intergovernmental organizations, the private sector, and civil society.