Preliminary review of ICCAT, IOTC and IATTC progress in applying an ecosystem approach to fisheries management

Tuna and billfish species, the structure of their communities and food webs they form provide and sustain important high-sea ecosystem services for human wellbeing. International agreements such as the UN Fish Stock Agreement and the FAO Code of Conduct have increased the expectations for RFMOs to implement an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. An ecosystem approach would ensure the sustainability of catches without compromising the structure and function of marine ecosystems and ensuring the delivery of ecosystem services. Here, we construct an idealized Driver-Pressure-State-Ecosystem Services-Response (DPSER) conceptual ecological model for a role model tuna RFMO to highlight how this planning tool could potentially be used as a framework to implement an ecosystem approach in tuna RFMOs. We use the DPSER model to assess the progress of ICCAT, IOTC and IATTC in applying an ecosystem approach to fisheries management. We seek to identify what type of research approaches are currently used in each RFMO and identify data and methodological needs, as well as limitations in capacities that hinder the implementation on an ecosystem approach. The three tuna RFMOs have taken steps to apply an ecosystem approach to fisheries management, yet the extent of their ecosystem-related research activities and programs differ markedly and occur under different fundamental research and institutional structures. The three tuna RFMOs have adopted several management measures and actions to mitigate the effects of fishing on target and by-catch species including sensitive species, and no measures to account for the impacts of fishing on the food web structure and trophic relationships and protections of sensitive habitats. The management measures in place to mitigate the impacts of fishing on bycatch and sensitive species have by large not been linked to pre-agreed operational objectives and associated indicators, and are not activated when a predefined threshold is exceeded. In the future, we intend to evaluate the performance and progress of the five tuna RFMOs in applying an ecosystem approach to fisheries management to find synergies and examples of good practices and opportunities that can be transferred across them.