South Atlantic albacore tuna: Developing a stock-wide harvest strategy

• Develop a Management Strategy Evaluation framework for stock
• Advance state-of-the-art stock wide harvest strategies for highly migratory species
• Unique multi-stakeholder collaboration between ICCAT members, fisheries and NGOs for the benefit of multiple fisheries
  

South Atlantic albacore tuna fisheries meeting standards

Fisheries certified to the MSC Fisheries Standard must demonstrate that they are not overfishing their target stocks and are adhering to the regulations and laws of the regional fisheries management organisation (RFMO) for the ocean in which they fish. 

Five MSC certified albacore tuna fisheries fish in the South Atlantic Ocean, a region managed by the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT).

As conditions of their certification, these fisheries are required to develop a harvest strategy that ensures the long-term sustainability of the South Atlantic albacore tuna stock, in conjunction with the fishery management objectives of ICCAT.

To support the fisheries to meet the conditions of certification, their harvest strategy project has been selected for a Science and Research Fund grant from the MSC Ocean Stewardship Fund.

Developing, testing and adopting a harvest strategy

In alignment with ICCAT’s goals for sustainable, science-based management of highly migratory species, this project will be a structured, phased roadmap to develop, test, and adopt a harvest strategy developed through Management Strategy Evaluation (MSE). This process will ensure the fishery’s alignment with international standards, promote stability in albacore catch, and support conservation priorities.

The main outcome will be an MSE framework for the stock. The project will look at key uncertainties and compare performance results for candidate strategies. It will integrate data analysis and dialogue workshops between scientists and management. 

Over 24 months, the project will achieve milestones such as initial data assessments, collaborative workshops, and the drafting of summary reports for ICCAT. 

Management objectives adopted by ICCAT will be used to guide the work and it will be project managed by The Ocean Foundation’s International Fisheries Conservation Project. 

Benefitting the conservation of Atlantic albacore tuna stocks

By targeting long-term sustainability and resilience, this project will create a replicable model that enhances compliance with the MSC Standard and sustainable management of the stock. It will result in an advanced and adaptable stock-wide harvest strategy, addressing certification conditions and benefitting the long-term conservation of the Atlantic tuna stocks.

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