Ecosystem Considerations

The FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries provides that management of fisheries should
ensure the conservation not only of target species, but also of the other species belonging to the same
ecosystem. In 2001, the Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Ecosystem elaborated
this standard with a commitment to incorporate an ecosystem approach into fisheries management.
The IATTC has taken account of ecosystem issues in many of its decisions, and this report on the
offshore pelagic ecosystem of the tropical and subtropical Pacific Ocean, which is the habitat of tunas and billfishes, has been available since 2003 to assist in making its management decisions. This section provides a coherent view, summarizing what is known about the direct impact of the fisheries upon various species and species groups of the ecosystem, and reviews what is known about the environment and about other species that are not directly impacted by the fisheries but may be indirectly impacted by means of predator-prey interactions in the food web.
This review does not suggest objectives for the incorporation of ecosystem considerations into the
management of tuna or billfish fisheries, nor any new management measures. Rather, its prime purpose is to offer the Commission the opportunity to ensure that ecosystem considerations are part of its agenda.