Proceedings of the International Technical Expert Workshop on Marine Turtle Bycatch in Longline Fisheries

Participants from nineteen countries and four inter-governmental organizations (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations - FAO, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission - IATTC, Convention on Migratory Species - CMS, Secretariat of the Pacific Community - SPC) participated at the International Technical Expert Workshop on Marine Turtle Bycatch in Longline Fisheries convened 11-13 February 2003 at Seattle, Washington, USA. Participants included individuals from government agencies, non-governmental and private organizations, industry, and academia.

Marine turtles are a global resource and their populations are impacted by numerous anthropogenic activities including degradation of nesting and foraging habitats, illegal poaching, overharvest of eggs, and incidental capture in commercial and artisanal fisheries. It is widely recognized that fisheries interactions comprise a significant threat to sea turtle populations. Among fisheries that incidentally capture sea turtles, certain types of trawl, gillnet, and longline fisheries generally pose the greatest threat. This Workshop focused on incidental capture of sea turtles in longline fisheries. The goal was to bring together academic, technical, and scientific expertise to discuss, develop and recommend actions to address global incidental capture in longline fisheries with the hope that implementation of these actions, where applicable, might reduce this particular threat.

The Workshop objectives were:
(1) to evaluate existing information on turtle bycatch in longline fisheries;
(2) to facilitate and standardize collection of data from longline fisheries that are likely to interact with marine turtles;
(3) to exchange information on experimentation with longline gear relative to turtles and target species;
(4) to identify and consider solutions to reduce turtle bycatch in longline fisheries; and
(5) to exchange information and gain a comprehensive understanding of the fishing methodologies and operations of global longline fleets.

Six overarching strategies were identified as key elements to address sea turtle bycatch in longline fisheries. These strategies are:
(1) Improved data collection and monitoring
(2) Regulatory approaches to fishery management
(3) Incentives to participate in the development and implementation of bycatch reduction measures
(4) Modifications of gear and fishing practices
(5) Modifying, developing, and implementing multi-lateral agreements
(6) Training, outreach, and capacity building

Specific actions were identified to implement each of these strategies taking into account the following: local, regional, and global scales; differences between developed and developing nations; differences in the biology and vulnerability of sea turtle species and stocks; and differences in the characteristics of longline fisheries. Because of the urgency of the sea turtle bycatch issue, both immediate and long-term actions were considered. Workshop participants prioritized actions to implement the six identified strategies outlined on the following pages.

The six highest-ranking actions overall are:
(1) Develop new approaches to time-area closures using real-time spatial management applied to all fleets to reduce marine turtle-longline fisheries interactions;
(2) Request that FAO convene an intergovernmental technical consultation to address the issue of marine turtle bycatch in longline fisheries;
(3) Encourage rapid deployment and implementation of gear and fishing practices that have shown promise for reducing marine turtle bycatch in shallow swordfish fisheries;
(4) Direct additional and immediate marine turtle bycatch reduction research in the major ocean basins to fine tune recent finding, taking into account differences among species;
(5) Involve industry in discussions regarding bycatch reduction strategies as early as possible;
(6) Identify and secure funding to accomplish these actions.

Taken together the