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Research projects
  • You can use the Project Search Tool below to browse over the staff’s research projects, including their brief summaries, that are currently under way, or planned for the near future and funded under the 5-year Strategic Science Plan (2019-2023). The summaries include, for each project, background information, a work plan, and a progress report, as well as details of its relevance and purpose, external collaborators, duration, and deliverables; also, for existing projects, an update on activities since the previous year’s report.

    This information can also be found on the IATTC-98b-Staff activities and research plan.

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    20 Project(s)
    01 Jun 2018 - 01 Oct 2022
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To use presence-only catch data to develop habitat models for all bycatch species caught in EPO tuna fisheries to facilitate mapping of their geographic range.
    • To make distribution maps available in a format suitable for use as base maps for ecological risk assessment models (PSA, EASI-Fish)
    01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2021
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To develop a spatially-explicit model for quantifying the cumulative impact of multiple fisheries on data-limited bycatch species in the EPO
    • To use the model to prioritize potentially vulnerable species for further research and/or management
    • To design the model in a user-friendly format to maximize uptake and utilization by IATTC CPCs
    01 Jan 2018 - 31 Dec 2018
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To improve the currently used PSA methodology by reducing the number of redundant biological attributes without compromising PSA results.
    • Apply the new PSA methodology to existing assessments of the purse seine fishery (class 6 vessels) and the industrial longline fishery.
    • To prepare manuscripts for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal for (1) improved PSA methodology, and (2) purse seine and longline fishery PSA results.
    01 Nov 2021 - 31 May 2022
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To use the EASI-Fish ERA approach to assess the vulnerability status of elasmobranch species caught as bycatch in EPO fisheries
    • To identify vulnerable species using traditional biological reference points
    01 May 2022 - 31 May 2023
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To use the EASI-Fish ERA approach to assess the efficacy of potential conservation and management measures for reducing fishing impacts on shark species identified in project L.2.b as being highly vulnerable in the EPO
    01 Sep 2021 - 31 May 2023
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • In collaboration with SPC, use the EASI-Fish ERA approach to undertake a Pacific-wide vulnerability assessment of shark species caught as bycatch in tuna fisheries managed by the IATTC and WCPFC
    • To identify the most vulnerable species using traditional biological reference points
    01 Jun 2021 - 31 May 2022
    Funded
    Objectives:
    • To use the EASI-Fish ERA approach to assess vulnerability status and the efficacy of conservation and management measures prescribed under IATTC Resolution C-19-04 for reducing fishing impacts on the East Pacific stock of leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea).
    01 Jan 2015 - 31 Dec 2018
    Funded
    Objectives:
    Evaluate the performance of shallow non-entangling versus normal depth FADs in the EPO purse-seine fishery, with an emphasis on the tuna and non-tuna species catch composition; seeking a practical solution to reduce fishing mortality on small undesirable sizes of bigeye
    01 Jan 2019 - 15 Jun 2020
    Funded
    Objectives:
    Reduce bycatches of small fishes (tunas and others) in purse-seine sets
    01 Jan 2020 - 01 Dec 2023
    Funded
    Objectives:
    Reduce bycatches of small yellowfin in purse-seine sets.