What we think you should know about Fish Aggregating Devices

Here, we offer a detailed overview of drifting FADs in tropical tuna fisheries, their use, and their management with a focus on the Atlantic and Indian Oceans that we know best We hope that you will find the information you need as a manager, NGO, citizen, scientist, or fisher.

Here, we have shared our experience as a purse seine fleet using FOBs in the Atlantic and Indian oceans. We have reviewed the best knowledge we have on dFADs in tropical tuna purse seine fisheries, their use and their management. Among others, we have touched upon longstanding discussions in tuna RFMOs such as the appropriate terminology that should be used, the availability of FOB data and the options for an efficient management and control of FOB fisheries.

We believe that a responsible and transparent use, monitoring and control can ensure sustainable FOB fisheries. This document is our contribution to more transparent FOB purse seine fisheries. We hope that this dictionary of FOB fisheries will help stakeholders speaking the same language when discussing dFADs in tuna RFMOs.