Fisheries Workshop
Experience of RFMOs in addressing impacts of bottom fisheries on VMEs and the long-term sustainability of
deep- sea fish stocks
Industry Representative: R. ShottonExecutive Secretary
Southern Indian Ocean Deepsea Fishers Association
SIODFA
What is SIODFA?• Austral Fisheries Pty• Kanai Fisheries• ORAFCO• Sealord Group
• Started in 2006 because of failure of signatories to ratify SIOFA
• Lobby for ratification of SIOFA• Implemented 1st ‘industry’ high-seas benthic
protected areas• Undertake conservation and management
measures• Open to relevant companies who support our
objectives.Port States
Markets & Processing Crews
What to do in the absence of a RFMO?
• Members record complete tow-by-tow data
• Impact Assessments – e.g. SIODFA Technical Report 08/04: Characteristics of SIODFA Vessels Operating in the Southern Indian Ocean Deep-sea Trawl Fisheries
• Our vessels have SIMRAD ES60 acoustic systems to assess stocks and collect resource management/ bycatch (sharks and benthos) data
• Conservation measure to cap fleet capacity– 1 vessel/company
• Assessment working groups to support SIOFA - when it starts
• International activities: MOU with IUCN; Observer to FAO and more
Signatories’ Resolution on Data Collection Concerning the High Seas in
the Southern Indian Oceani. Collect and archive “collect
current and future data” with far greater detail common in most RFMOs. SIODFA -
– Total catch, catch species, number of vessels fishing in the Area and total number of tows.
—Securing historical data – are the only source of much historic information
- Provides data needed to comply with Port States Agreement
Great stuff! ... but what about reality?
i. Manage the fisheries resource (top priority):a. Appropriate levels of fishing effort (43 4 vessels)b. Appropriate catch limits c. Aggregation-based surveys, stock structure analyses,
biological data, …..The main VMEs are the fishery resources!!!ii. Where they occur, protect cold-water coral and other benthos
(catches of corals usually negligible in the SIO)
This Vulnerable Marine Ecosystem triggered implementation of a vessel move-on requirement in the SIO .....
This is usually what the bottom looks like:
Deep-sea fisheries very enormously – please don’t generalize
EIAs – Environmental Impact Assessments
• Click to edit Master text styles– Second level
• Third level– Fourth level
» Fifth level
How to really make progress?
i. More rules and regulations - more enforcement Inspections and observers often work poorly
Needed voluntary and effective compliance!ii. Incentives (NOT SUBSIDIES) to industry for good
management best achieve effective management/ protection of the environment
iii.Secure fishing entitlements provide these incentives - RIGHTS ↔ RESPONSIBILITIES
iv. We need leadership from the UN and support from NGOs!
Thank you
SIODFA
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SIODFA
SIODFA
• Click to edit Master text styles– Second level
• Third level– Fourth level
» Fifth level
Roughskin dogfish (ODG)Centroscymnus owstoni [Photo credit: Jessica Sanders]
Photo Credit: Kevin Flanagan
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Box plots of length distributionsorange roughy females
Plot of ovary weight verses body weight – all data
This plot shows the two functional relationships between the variables
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Body Weight - grams
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