Bycatch management in IOTC fisheries

Citation
Martin S, Shahid U (2021) Bycatch management in IOTC fisheries. In: IOTC- 17th Working Party on Ecosystems & Bycatch (Assessment). IOTC-2021-WPEB17(AS)-24_rev1, Online
Abstract

Over the past decade, the IOTC has adopted a number of Conservation and Management Measures (CMMs), supporting the conservation of vulnerable species interacting with IOTC fisheries as bycatch. The adoption of a CMM represents the first step in management, however, it is vital to subsequently evaluate the effectiveness of these following implementation. The main overall aim of the bycatch CMMs is to minimise the fishery impacts on the species of concern, while the specific objectives are typically three-fold, involving; (i) a direct reduction in mortality (often in the form of a retention ban or modification of gear/practices to reduce harmful interactions), (ii) improvements to data quality and (iii) research-related objectives.