Improving species and catch data reporting (Resolution C-03-05)

Many aspects of the research conducted by IATTC’s staff have expanded since the Antigua Convention entered into force over a decade ago, and data provision has not kept pace. This has severely hampered the staff’s work, ultimately impacting the research that can be undertaken to provide management advice. For example, stock assessments of the target tropical tuna species have suffered because access to essential data, in particular, operational-level logbook data, which are the fine-resolution data required for the sophisticated techniques recently used to assess the stock status, has been restricted. These data have only been available to the staff through Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with Cooperating Members and non-Members (CPCs) for set time periods prior to the Scientific Advisory Committee meetings to conduct assessments, which does not give the staff adequate time to conduct the in-depth analyses necessary to improve the assessments. Additionally, the Antigua Convention includes a greater focus on ecosystem considerations and impacts the eastern Pacific Ocean’s (EPO) fisheries may have on associated and dependent species. However, ecological analyses have been hampered by the lack of quality data on species caught as bycatch in the various fisheries, with limited to no data available for fisheries other than large purse-seine vessels (IATTC Class-6; fish carrying capacity > 363 t) that carry observers onboard for each trip. Such limitations led the staff to review current Resolutions on the foundation of all of its research – the data on fisheries, mainly the overall Resolution on data provision, C-03-05. Upon review, the staff concluded that this Resolution requires updating to align with mandates of the Antigua Convention, the IATTC’s Strategic Science Plan (SSP) and to harmonize with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and other tuna Regional Fisheries Management Organizations. To this end, the staff has prepared this document, which is intended to serve two purposes: 1) provide background information on the rationale for improved data collection, and outline the data deficiencies for the various fisheries that must be addressed in order for the staff to perform the research necessary to meet its diverse responsibilities (Sections 1-5); and, 2) provide a proposed draft of a revised Resolution C-03-05 on data provision that covers the fisheries known to operate in the EPO for which data provision is not addressed under other resolutions (Annex 1). The overarching goal of this effort is to revise Resolution C-03-05 to improve the scope and quality of data provided for science, conservation and management.