E - Iccat

ICCAT REPORT 2002-2003 (II)
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF
ATLANTIC TUNAS (ICCAT) RESOLVES THAT:
1. An ad hoc joint Workshop of ICCAT scientists and managers be convened in 2003, perhaps in conjunction
with another inter-sessional meeting, with the view to improving collection and provision of data related to
fishing, including farming, of the species covered by the Commission by Contracting Parties and Cooperating
non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities and other non-Contracting Parties.
2. The Workshop should:
a) review data deficiencies for each species under the purview of ICCAT,
b) consider the credibility of catch data and the utility of using trade data collected under the Statistical
Document Programs; and
c) develop recommendations to improve collection and reporting of catch data adequate to conduct or
improve the work of SCRS, PWG, and the Compliance Committee.
3. All Contracting Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities and the
Commission Chairman, SCRS Chairman, Compliance Committee Chairman, SCRS Species Group
Rapporteurs, and Chair of the Sub-Committee on Statistics should be invited to participate. Contracting
Parties and Cooperating non-Contracting Parties, Entities or Fishing Entities are encouraged to include
scientists and managers on their delegations.
4. The ICCAT Secretariat should provide technical and administrative support for the Workshop.
Bluefin Tuna
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Summary of Species-by-Species Recommendations for Improving Statistics
Appendix 4 to ANNEX 4.3
– Fishing parties should report reliable data on catch, effort, and size in the format requested, and on as fine
a scale as possible. These obligations are considered a minimum standard.
– Uncertainty about catches has become greater due to (1) a probable increase in the level of unreported
catches following the imposition of quotas, and (2) the development of bluefin tuna farming. Efforts
should be made to improve knowledge of farming operations.
– The substitutions of size data used for the calculation of the catch at size need to be revised for the years
prior to 1998. The quality of the size data (sample size) submitted should also be verified.
Billfishes
–When possible, on-board observer programs should be enhanced to define the species composition of
billfish by-catch from longline and purse seine fisheries by considering the distribution and abundance of
billfish in the design of these programs, or alternatively, statistically robust procedures that improve
estimations of catch for all billfish species be developed and applied. It is recommended that the analytical
procedures used to estimate catch by species always be documented, so that uncertainty in the estimates of
catch can be better quantified.
–Sampling/reporting procedures for separating billfish species for those fisheries that continue to report
unclassified billfish should be developed.
–Knowledge about the landings of billfish from countries that have traditionally not reported billfish should
continue to be improved, but from where substantial catches are likely to be occurring by making contacts
with the scientists/administrators of those countries, especially those in West Africa.
Tropical Tunas
Bigeye
–Conduct port sampling on Ghanaian fisheries (purse seiners and baitboats) in order to provide better catch
by species and size data. Verify historical species composition.
–Size data are still missing from many fisheries. All countries catching this species should conduct pertinent
level of size sampling and provide to the ICCAT.