Area 51 (Indian Ocean, Western)

This FIP concentrates on the stocks of the following species: Karikkadi shrimp (Parapenaeopsis stylifera), Poovalan shrimp (Metapenaeus dobsoni), cuttlefish (Sepia pharaonis), squid (Uroteuthis duvaucelli), and octopus (Amphioctopus neglectus, A. marginatus). For the pre-assessment, the management unit is the stock of these five species found in Kerala coastal waters. 

The fishing gear for this FIP is trawls. The fishery is a mixed fishery, targeting shrimp, cephalopods and fish. Shrimp trawls use a different (smaller) cod-end to the fish and cephalopod trawls (see regulations below). The cephalopod trawl uses the same mesh size as the fish trawl but is reportedly rigged slightly off-bottom, by adjusting the rigging of doors; in fact, it is rigged somewhat differently for each target species of cephalopod. Cephalopods are also targeted in shrimp trawls rigged to have a high opening. Vessels may carry several trawls on board. Fishing trips last three to four days at the beginning of the season (August/Sept) and can increase up to 15 days later in the season (April/May), depending on the storage, ice and fuel capacity of the vessel.

The responsibility for marine fisheries in India is shared between the National (Central) and State governments. The national legal framework in India gives individual States control of the seas and living marine resources up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from the shore, while the Central Government has control from 12 nm to the 200 nm exclusive economic zone (EEZ) boundary. Although this fishery operates inside and outside 12 nm, management jurisdiction in practice is with the Kerala fisheries department. There is however a potential for the stocks under assessment to be shared with neighbouring states, i.e., Karnataka, and also the central government, if the stocks’ ranges extend past the 12 nm demarcation.

According to the World Bank (2010) report, there are five major legal instruments of the Central government that directly govern marine fisheries and activities:

• The Indian Fisheries Act, 1897;
• Marine Products Export Development Authority Act 1972 (No. 13 of 1972);
• The Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of fishing by foreign vessels) Act, 1981 (No. 42 of 1981);
• The Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of fishing by foreign vessels) Rules, 1982;
• The Operation of Deep Sea Fishing Vessels, 20m OAL and above, Notifications dated 14 December 2006.

State legislation is based on a model Act prepared by the central government in 1979 (World Bank, 2010) with each State developing its own marine fisheries legislation to manage fisheries in their respective area. In Kerala State, fisheries management is guided by the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980 (KMFR Act). It was amended in 2017 and is in the process of being implemented across the State.

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The Malaysian Swordfish fishery is governed by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), with actions implemented by the Government of Malaysia. The FIP for this fishery began in 2018 and has made significant governance improvements since. Efforts between 2018 and 2020 were focused on electronic reporting and monitoring for better control of the fishery’s catch; for example, FIP participants took part in the Regional Observer Program for carrier vessels and fishing vessels to monitor transshipment at sea, and the Department of Fisheries in Malaysia has installed CCTV on every vessel including IBU WIRA 1, IBU WIRA 2 & IBU WIRA 3. These are major achievements that increase oversight of the fishery tremendously and represent a considerable score increase on Principle 3 (Governance) of the Marine Stewardship Council standard, compliance and enforcement (3.2.3). 

In 2023 the major FIP action, in addition to regular catch reporting, will be to review vessel practices against the requirements in the applicable IOTC resolutions for mitigating risks to ETP species.  

History: In April 2017, a new fishery improvement project (FIP) for Sri Lanka’s tuna longline fishery was launched at the Seafood Expo Global in Brussels (Belgium) by the President of the Seafood Exporters’ Association of Sri Lanka (SEASL) Prabhash Subasinghe. In May the SEASL signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Minister of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development, the Honourable Mahinda Amaraweera, MP to improve the biological and ecological status of Sri Lanka’s tuna and billfish longline fishery. The MoU also commits the parties to implement fishery-specific management measures that will maintain the status of the fishery at a level consistent with a sustainably managed fishery. In July Pelagikos pvt Ltd was appointed to administer and manage, design, plan, monitor and evaluate the new FIP. The progress made by the FIP to improve the Sri Lankan tuna longline fishery since July, is presented in this the first FIP bulletin.

In July, the SEASL commissioned a Gap Analysis to establish the scope of the new longline fishery improvement project and to internally assess with members of the new FIP, the status of the fishery / fisheries against the Marine Stewardship Council's (MSC) Fishery Standard. The Gap Analysis Final Report was submitted to the SEASL by Pelagikos pvt Ltd at the end of April 2018. In November 2017 the SEASL commissioned a pre-assessment of the longline fishery against the MSC Fishery Standard by a Certified Assessment Body (CAB). The CAB pre-assessment report was submitted to the SEASL in March 2018. The CAB pre-assessment was co-financed by the SEASL and New England Seafood International Pvt Ltd.

Context: The new FIP is a collaboration between Sri Lanka’s leading seafood manufacturers, the government’s regulatory and export authorities, boat owners' associations, skippers and their crew. Representatives of these associations, agencies and authorities comprise the decision making ‘members’ of the new Sri Lankan tuna longline FIP.   The first Steering Committee was convened by the Secretary to the Ministry of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Development (MFARD) at the end of July 2017. ‘Focal points’ were appointed by each member of the new FIP. The scope of the new FIP was discussed and agreed in the second Steering Committee meeting held in October 2017. In this meeting, the immediate opportunities (including certification) and challenges that need to be overcome to further improve Sri Lanka’s tuna longline fishery were presented and discussed.

Scope: In 2016, Sri Lankan vessels harvested 77,029.24 metric tons of tuna (86%) and billfish (14%) from Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and international waters, using gillnets, longlines, ring nets, handlines and trolling lines according to the National Aquatic Resources, Research and Development Agency (NARA). Key species included skipjack, yellowfin, bigeye and albacore tuna, together with Indo-pacific sailfish, swordfish and black, blue and striped marlin. The scope of the new FIP was determined based on the consideration of the following three factors:

(1) The export demand for fresh and frozen tuna and billfish products.

(2) The types of vessels and gears supplying tuna and billfish for export.

(3) The current and short-term status of key export species.

Sri Lanka’s fresh and frozen seafood export industry is driven by demand for yellowfin tuna products. Demand for bigeye, Indo-pacific sailfish, swordfish and marlin products is also important to the industry. Artisanal (<15m) and semi-industrial (<24 m) multiday fishing boats, deploying short (500 – 1,500 hooks) longlines are the main source of tuna and billfish for Sri Lankan exporters. 498 longline multiday boats were registered to fish within and beyond Sri Lanka’s EEZ in 2017. 80% of these vessels were registered under the District Fisheries Offices in Chilaw (Thodduwawa and Wennappuwa) and Negombo. A further 300 or so longline multiday boats were registered for the EEZ only. IOTC stock assessments indicate that bigeye tuna and swordfish stocks are currently fished at a level consistent with a sustainably managed fishery (Green).  The yellowfin tuna stock is judged to be overfished and subject to overfishing (Red). However, interim reference points and harvest control rules are in place to ensure that the stock recovers within the next three years. Sailfish and blue marlin stocks are overfished or subject to overfishing (Orange). Black and striped marlin stocks are judged to be overfished and subject to overfishing (Red). The absence of reference points for these species means that it is unlikely that the stocks will recover within the next three years. Based on the new Sri Lankan Longline FIP’s internal assessment, members of the FIP agreed the scope of the new Sri Lanka FIP to be

Geographic:              Sri Lanka’s Exclusive Economic Zone & International Waters in the Indian Ocean

Vessel Type:             Sri Lankan multiday fishing boats registered to fish in the EEZ or High Seas

Gear Type:                 Deep-set Longline

                                 Target Species:        Yellowfin tuna, Bigeye tuna, Swordfish

The Sustainable Indian Ocean Tuna Initiative (SIOTI) was established in 2017 and comprises major purse seine fleets and canned tuna processors operating in the Indian Ocean. SIOTI successfully concluded the first phase of the FIP between 2017 and 2023 that resulted in all fleet partners being MSC-certified or in full assessment against the standard for skipjack tuna. The successful FIP partnership is, since 2023, now focusing its attention on fishery improvements for yellowfin and bigeye tuna, building on impactful interventions made in the first phase of the FIP while actioning others to ensure that the fishery for both species can achieve the MSC standard by 2028. The FIP has retained its original name, SIOTI, yet following an updated workplan which main objective is the vertification of the YFT and BET fisheries. The implementation of the revised workplan started in 2023.

Target species: SIOTI.2 focuses on the purse seine fishery target species of yellowfin (Thunnus albacares) and bigeye tuna (Thunnus obesus) 

Fishing methods: The FIP encompasses the use of purse seine gear by large (>60 m LOA) specialist purse seine vessels. Sets by the vessels can be made on free schools of tuna or schools of tuna associated with floating objects

Fishing area: The fishery operates under the jurisdiction of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) in FAO Statistical Areas 51 and 57

Fishing fleets: The SIOTI fleet comprises 27 purse seine vessels flagged to France, Italy, Mauritius, Seychelles and Spain.