Maldives yellowfin tuna - handline

The handline fishery is the most important, in terms of foreign exchange revenue. Current landings are about 28,000 MT annually, of which 80% is exported, mostly in fresh chilled form. These exports are worth about 70 million USD a year. 

The fishery targets surface-dwelling large yellowfin tuna, which in non-handline fisheries are often associated with dolphins. While Maldivians know of the fishery potential of yellowfin tuna, a targeted fishery using handlines started 1990s as a response to the private sector involvement in fresh tuna exports.  Livebait, often scads (Selar crumenophthalmus, Decapterus macarellus)  and triggerfish (Odonus niger), are used to attract and maintain large yellowfin tuna schools. Hooked scads/triggerfish on handline leads with sinkers are used to catch yellowfin and hauled manually. The fish are killed immediately, gilled, gutted, and bled before being stored on flake ice.  

The fishery is highly selective with no bycatch and virtually no negative interactions with ETP species.

The scope of the FIP is the entire Maldives handline fishery, conducted throughout the archipelago, but generally restricted to the south-central, central, and northern regions. The Maldives fishery segment is part of the wider Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna stock, but this fishery targets only adult tuna within the Maldivian EEZ.

Of the roughly 800 licensed tuna vessels in the Maldives, about 50% target exclusively yellowfin using handlines. The fishing licenses are renewed every year and managed by the Maldives Ministry of Fisheries, Marine Resources, and Agriculture.