Funded
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- Objectives
- To hold a series of workshops, by gear type, on data provision to develop standardized reporting templates. The ultimate goal is to update Resolution C-03-05 to align data reporting requirements with the Antigua Convention, and to harmonize them, where possible, with FAO and other tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organization’s (t-RFMOs) data collection and reporting standards (SAC-12-16 see section B.3. “General Data Provisions”).
- Background
- The Antigua Convention has been in force for over a decade, but the pace of data provision of the data types required by the staff to adequately meet the obligations under the Convention, as well as its objectives and those of the ongoing IATTC’s Strategic Science Plan (2019-2023, IATTC-93-06a) has lagged. Resolution C-03-05 constitutes the foundation of staff’s scientific research to demonstrate ecological sustainability within the scope of the Convention. Stock assessments of tuna and tuna-like species have been hampered by restricted access to high resolution, set-by-set, time-series data (see, for example, recent technical challenges in SAC-11-06; SAC-11-07; IATTC-95-05). Ecological analyses have been hampered by the lack of quality data on species caught as bycatch in the various fisheries, with limited to no data available for fisheries other than large purse-seine vessels (IATTC Class-6; fish carrying capacity > 363 t) that carry observers onboard for each trip (e.g. see SAC-13-10, SAC-13-11). Documents SAC-12-09 and WSDAT-01-01 provide background information on the rationale for improved data collection and outline the data deficiencies for the various fisheries that must be addressed in order for the staff to perform the research necessary to meet their diverse responsibilities. This project was initiated in response to a SAC recommendation to hold a series of workshops by gear type to improve data collection (SAC-12-RPT, SAC-12-16 see section B.3. “General Data Provisions”) .
- Relevance for management
- Improvements in the scope and quality of data are fundamental to the staff’s ability to undertake scientifically defensible analyses that can be used to provide sound advice on conservation and management measures (CMMs) for stock, ecological and vulnerability assessments.
- Duration
- 2022-2026
- Workplan and status
- 2022: Collaborations with colleagues at the other t-RFMOs and individual CPCs to prepare for the 1st Workshop on Data Improvement C-03-05: Industrial Longline
- Jan 2023: Held the 1st Workshop on Data Improvement C-03-05: Industrial Longline
- May 2023: Present the staff’s recommendations, revised with input from workshop participants, for updating Resolution C-03-05 at the 14th meeting of the SAC.
- Jun-Dec 2023: Initiate discussions for improving data provision for small purse seiners
- Jan 2024: Propose the 2nd Workshop on Data Improvement C-03-05: Small Purse Seine
- May 2024: Present the staff’s recommendations, revised with input from workshop participants, for updating Resolution C-03-05 at the 15th meeting of the SAC
- Jun-Dec 2024: Initiate discussions for improving data provision for longliners operating in the coastal regime (‘artisanal’ sector)
- Jan 2025: Propose the 3rd Workshop on Data Improvement C-03-05: Short-Medium Range Longline
- May 2025: Present the staff’s recommendations, revised with input from workshop participants, for updating Resolution C-03-05 at the 16th meeting of the SAC
- Jun-Dec 2025: Prepare a draft proposal for an updated Resolution C-03-05
- May 2026: Present the staff’s recommendations for revising Resolution C-03-05 for all gears
- External collaborators
- CPCs, colleagues at SPC/WCPFC, ICCAT, IOTC
- Deliverables
- Background documents and reports for each workshop (e.g. WSDAT-01-01); SAC recommendations for updating Resolution C-03-05 for each gear type.
- Updated date: 01 May 2023
- Progress summary for the reporting period
- In preparation for the workshop, staff conducted surveys with colleagues at other t-RFMOs to compare types of data submitted to each t-RFMO and to draft species lists for consideration in data submission with the goal of harmonizing data collection and reporting across t-RFMOs. The 1st Workshop on Data Improvement C-03-05: Industrial Longline was held virtually 09-10 Jan 2023. Recommendations for updating Resolution C-03-05 based on input from workshop participants and individual consultations with individual CPCs will be presented at the 14th meeting of the SAC.
- Challenges and key lessons learnt
- Industrial longline data are the most important data source for improving stock assessments, yet it is challenging for some CPCs to provide operational-level, set-by-set, logbook data due to various issues such as domestic legal constraints. Making the submission of some species (e.g. sharks) compulsory is challenging due to potential misidentification by fishers not versed in taxonomy; quality of logbook data needs to be improved for species composition and overall accuracy. Obtaining size composition data is challenging for species that reach large sizes and cannot be brought onboard.
- SAC-12-09
WSDAT-01-01
Workshop Report