PACIFIC OCEANIC FISHERIES — Resources

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Poster

Poster explaining the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP2) 2018

Fact sheets

WCPO Fisheries Management—Summary of Preliminary Results of Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA), 2018
Tuna are highly mobile species that can move large distances. Tuna fisheries are not contained within one country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and will move through many EEZs as well as the high seas. This makes tuna fisheries a ‘transboundary problem’. This factsheet describes a diagnostic analysis of this transboundary problem.

As part of the Oceanic Fisheries Management Project (OFMP2), FFA has produced a fact sheet on Climate change and Pacific tuna fisheries.Topics covered include:
Climate naturally affects the distribution and abundance of tuna
Climate change under continued high greenhouse gas emissions will change tuna habitats
Climate change reduces nutrients and food availability for tuna
Climate change affects the 4 species of tuna differently
Climate change will affect fishing catch and revenue, but there are options
Decline in coastal fisheries under climate change means tuna is vital for food security
Research modelling addressing knowledge gaps

(SPC images are copyright)

Technical papers

Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) report
This TDA fills an earlier gap in the management development process for the Pacific Islands Oceanic Fisheries. When the original Strategic Action Programme (SAP) was adopted back in 1997 (over 20 years ago), it was not based on a detailed TDA. This document is the result of a number of working groups and consultations with specific inputs from many organisations. Much of the information was gathered from high quality existing reports and publications.
Oceanic Fisheries Management in the Pacific – Strategic Action Programme (SAP) October 2018 – draft for review
This draft SAP is for the Sustainable Management of Living Oceanic Resources by the Small Island Developing States of the Western and Central Pacific.
The SAP has arisen from the findings and conclusions of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA).This document reviews the problems and concerns identified in the previously completed TDA along with their root causes. It identifies a set of clear priorities for action by the Pacific Countries and Territories, and their partners within the region, to resolve and address identified problems and concerns.
Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and national information (2018)
This publication provides a quick and general understanding of the status of fisheries and aquaculture in the Pacific Islands region.
It is an update of the 2011 FAO publication Fisheries of the Pacific Islands: Regional and national information (2011).
In addition to a regional overview, the book provides updated fisheries and aquaculture country profiles for the 14 independent Pacific Island countries, including chapters on:
1. General geographic and main fisheries economic
indicators, including a summary of fisheries statistics
reported to FAO
2. Production sectors
3. Post-harvest sectors
4. Socio-economic contribution of the fishery sector
5. Trends, issues and developments
6. Institutional framework
7. Legal framework.

Report described in Franscisco Blaha’s blog

Posters & Videos

Marine biologist Valerie Allain describes the SPC’s largest collection of tuna tissue samples available to scientists for research on understanding tuna (3mins 50secs).

Country Web Page Reports – Bycatch

By-catch is a great example of the SPC reports produced specifically for each country. Once they have this information, Pacific countries are in a stronger position to negotiate a better deal with the fleets. Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs) can use their passwords to access their country’s confidential data and reports at: http://www.spc.int/OFPMemberCountries/ (the contact person at SPC to obtain the country user name/password is Emmanual Schneiter – [email protected]).

Country web pages provide a wealth of data and graphs for countries to complete their Part 1 reports for the WCPFC annual meetings

Each confidential country web page includes data and graphs that are updated 4 times a year. The main groups of data included on country pages are:

1. Catch by species (of target tuna)

Summarised by gear type and by flag
National fleet catch summarised inside and outside EEZ2

2. Catch by gear type

Summarised by species and by flag
National fleet catch summarised inside and outside EEZ

3. Catch per unit effort

Summarised by gear type and flag
Purse seine catch summarised by FAD association
Spatial plots of effort and catch by 5° and 1° latitude/longitude squares4.

4. Biological data for target tuna species (just length frequencies currently)

5. Gear characteristics (e.g., hooks per set for longlines, set start times for purse seines)

6. Observer collected data – longline vessels only

- Observer coverage
- Observed CPUE of target and bycatch species
- List of all bycatch species and fate of key species

The country web pages are particularly useful for helping each country to produce a Part 1 Report that summarises their historical fishing activities within their EEZ. This report is required annually for inclusion to data summaries at the annual WCPFC Scientific Committee meeting.

SPC researcher, Steven Hare explains (57 secs).