SPC Fish Stock Assessment Training Strengthens Regional Capacityff

Next time you are about to swallow a mouthful of delicious tuna, spare a thought for the work that goes on behind the scenes to make sure that there really are plenty more fish in the sea.

The Pacific Ocean covers more of Earth than all the land masses put together. It also supports the world’s most productive tuna fisheries, as well as high biodiversity of other oceanic fish that often end up caught in the same nets or on the same hooks that are fishing for tuna.

In early July, 20 members of Pacific Islands fisheries administrations took part in a week-long training course in “Fish Stock Assessment” and “Ecological Risk Assessment” conducted by scientists from the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s Oceanic Fisheries Programme (SPC-OFP). The training was part of the ongoing work of SPC-OFP in building the capacity of Pacific Island countries and territories to conserve and manage stocks of tuna, billfish, sharks and other highly migratory fish species in their exclusive economic zones and in international waters.

Dr. Donald Bromhead facilitated the Fish Stock Assessment component of the training. Fish stock assessment is used to determine the size of fish populations and the amount of fishing they can support sustainably in the long term.

Dr. David Kirby led the training on Ecological Risk Assessment for the more than 100 fish and other marine species that are also caught while fishing for tuna. Ecological risk assessment provides a framework for comparing the relative risk of fishing impacts on such a large number of species, some of which are caught frequently (e.g. sharks) and others of which are rarely encountered (e.g. turtles, seabirds, whales and dolphins).

Pamela Maru of the Cook Islands, a workshop participant, said, ‘This type of capacity building assists Pacific Island fisheries administrations by enhancing our understanding of the science used to assess fish stocks in the Pacific, and of how to identify which species are more vulnerable to fishing activities. The workshops helped me to understand how to interpret and utilize these tools to find the best management approaches, especially when dealing with multi-species fisheries.’

The SPC-OFP Manager, John Hampton, noted, “Pacific Island countries and territories have made international legal commitments to conserve and manage stocks of highly migratory fish species. SPC-OFP helps them to honor those commitments by providing the best possible scientific information, both through the analyses we carry out and the training we deliver.”

The training was funded by the French Pacific Fund, the Japan Trust Fund, the Papua New Guinea National Fisheries Authority and the Western & Central Pacific Fisheries Commission.

For now there are indeed plenty more fish in the sea. Pacific Island countries and territories are working together with regional agencies and distant-water fishing nations to make sure that this situation continues into the future.