Experts Meet To Evaluate Status Of Indian Ocean Tuna Stocksff

Scientists now meeting in Seychelles hope to come up with answers to the crucial question of whether Indian Ocean tuna stocks are healthy or over-fished.

The experts from around the world are analysing and reporting on data as the Regional Tuna Tagging Project-Indian Ocean, which has been going on for more than 3½ years, enters its final stage.



A total of 168,163 tuna were caught by hired fishing boats then tagged and released.

Just over 14% of the tags have since been recovered after the tuna were taken by fishermen, and it is these tags that hold the vital information. 

The tagging project –funded by a €14 million European Union grant– and the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) are the hosts for two workshops at the International Conference Centre, one last week and one going on all this week.

The project’s chief coordinator, Dr Jean Pierre Hallier, said: “The most difficult part of the experiment was getting the tags back, and we did this by offering rewards to fishermen and industry workers for reporting their recapture.”

So far more than €100,000 in reward money has been paid out.

It is hoped meticulous analysis of the data will shed some light on the exploitation rates of bigeye, yellowfin and skipjack tuna resources, as well as other important factors such as growth rates and migrations of these fish.

Alejandro Anganuzzi, executive secretary of the IOTC, said much of the research work will involve state-of-the-art computer models.

“These meetings are very important to the IOTC in its role as management body for tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean,” he said.

“We are very optimistic the tagging data will enable scientists to better understand the fisheries for tuna as well as their biology and behavior, and this information will enable us to better assess the status of the stocks.”

Jan Robinson, acting manager of fisheries research and development at the Seychelles Fishing Authority, is looking forward to the results of the project.

“For all the countries of the Indian Ocean who are heavily involved in the tuna industry, like Seychelles, this represents a huge step forward in the scientific knowledge available,” she said.

“It should assist us greatly, particularly with stock assessment of those tuna species important to the Seychelles economy.”

A representative of the EU’s delegation in Mauritius paid tribute to the collective vision of the Indian Ocean Commission’s member states in steering the “ambitious” tagging project.

“We are confident that the project we are funding will contribute greatly to the sustainable management of the region’s tuna stocks,” he said.

The tagging project is set to continue for another 1½ years. During this time the data collected will be made available to the scientific community, further rigorous assessments will be carried out, and the results will be published.

Ultimately, it is expected that the data will greatly improve the certainty of information available to fisheries managers and contribute to the long-term sustainability of tuna stocks.

Around 900,000 tons of yellowfin, bigeye, skipjack and albacore tuna are fished from the Indian Ocean each year. This represents just over 20% of the worldwide catch.

The IOTC is responsible for the conservation and management of tuna and tuna-like species in the Indian Ocean; it has 27 members and is based in Seychelles.