Center for Marine Biodiversity and Conservation

Regional Fisheries Management Organizations (RFMOs) are global organizations responsible for the management of migratory fish stocks on the high seas. As a consequence of large-scale fishing, bycatch is widespread and the impacts of discards on populations can be great. These organizations are thus critical for ensuring the ecological and economic viability of large migratory pelagic fishes and other organisms found throughout international waters. This paper evaluates the factors that drive change for bycatch mitigation the Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), and reports on the progress of these organizations. To do this, the effectiveness of past resolutions is studied by conducting semi-structured interviews with fourteen scientists and policy makers engaged in RFMO management. This report discusses (1) how NGO pressure is necessary to persuade management to create resolutions and employ practical mitigation measures (2) how deficiencies in data standardization and collaboration among field members hinder progress and (3) recommendations that can be integrated by both IATTC and ICCAT. The recommendations fall into three categories: data improvements, proposed investments, and initiatives to foster cooperation.