Design options for the development of tuna catch documentation schemes. FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper, no. 596
Catch documentation schemes (CDS) have been a topic of debate for more than 16 years, and continue to mean different things to different people. This paper clarifies the nature of CDS and what they can achieve, and identifies the factors to be considered in the design of such schemes as a management and monitoring, control and surveillance tool in tuna fisheries. This paper was developed in the framework of the Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project funded by the Global Environment Facility and implemented by the FAO.
The Common Oceans ABNJ Tuna Project harnesses the efforts of a large and diverse array of partners, including the five tuna RFMOs, governments, inter-governmental organizations, non-governmental organizations and private sector. The Project aims to achieve responsible, efficient and sustainable tuna production and biodiversity conservation in the areas beyond national jurisdiction focusing on three thematic areas, namely; improving management, combatting IUU fishing, and protecting biodiversity.
A small-scale survey covering catch documentation schemes at the Brussels Seafood Show in April 2015 sampled feedback from the industry on these schemes in relation to tuna fisheries; some of the results are referred to in this paper in support of design option proposals.