<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/08/deal-to-curb-harmful-fishing-devices-a-huge-win-for-yellowfin-tuna-stocks>
"Coastal nations and conservation groups have described an agreement to
restrict fishing vessels from using devices that contribute to overfishing as a
“huge win” for tuna populations and marine life.
The adoption by fishing nations of tough proposals to restrict “fish
aggregating devices” (FADs) in the Indian Ocean, follows warnings to EU
officials from retailers, including Marks & Spencer, environmentalists and
coastal nations that the tools are one of the main contributors to overfishing
of Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna, because they catch high numbers of juveniles.
FADs have a “high environmental cost” they said, because endangered turtles,
sharks and marine mammals are often caught when the devices are encircled in
the purse seine nets of large tuna vessels. Lost or discarded FADs can also
cause environmental damage.
At a tense three-day meeting of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) over
the weekend to discuss the issue, a last-minute proposal to reduce the number
of free floating or “drifting” FADs used by EU and other purse seine fleets,
was put forward by Indonesia and 10 other coastal states. It was adopted by a
two-thirds majority after a secret ballot on Sunday. The unusual move followed
a surprise withdrawal of its proposal by Kenya, then the lead proponent of a
temporary FAD ban, which was backed by 10 other African and Asian coastal
states.
Measures to be adopted by IOTC nations by 1 January 2024, include a phased
reduction of the number of drifting FADs for each vessel, a mandatory FAD
register, to increase transparency and monitoring of the devices and, for the
first time and most controversially, a 72-day period where FADS are banned.
The closure period received the most opposition from the EU, who threatened to
object to the entire proposal and said on Tuesday they were still considering
options."
Via
Future Crunch:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-maternal-health-india-ocean-conservation-canada-palm-oil/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
