An environmental organization said that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) said that the major fishery management organization has an opportunity to ensure the sustainability of skipjack tuna.
“By adopting this method for skipjack, WCPFC member governments would make good on their 2014 agreement to develop harvest strategies for their key stocks. A harvest strategy is a pre-agreed framework for making fisheries management decisions, such as setting catch or “fishing effort” limits,” Glenn Holmes officer with Pew’s international fisheries project, and Dave Gershman, an officer with The Ocean Foundation’s international fisheries campaign said in a statement.
PEW said that the August meeting of WCPFC) for its first Science-Management Dialogue (SMD) will help advance the adoption of a precautionary, science-based management approach for skipjack, known as a harvest strategy.
“While WCPFC once led developments in harvest strategies, it is the only tuna management body without one in place, threatening certain sustainability certifications for the fishery,” PEW said. (Island Times)