Developing a management strategy for Endangered, Threatened or Protected species in a tuna pole and line fishery

The albacore (a.k.a. longfin) tuna (Thunnus alalunga) pole and line (TPL) fishery in South Africa is a socio-economically important fishery, contributing to the local economy and providing employment opportunities. The fishery was selected as one of five WWF South Africa Fisheries Improvement Projects, which take a multi-stakeholder approach to improve fishing practices and management so that species, habitats, and people can all thrive. The fishery is regarded as a relatively ‘clean’ fishery regarding its ecological impacts in terms of bycatch and Endangered, Threatened or Protected (ETP) species interactions. However, quantitative information on these impacts are not readily available and the activities of this fishery are known to warrant improvement. Here, we present work on the development and implementation of an ETP management strategy for South Africa’s albacore TPL sector, which, until now, has been lacking. Drawing on stakeholder engagement, and informed by global practice, Anchor were appointed to develop a range of measures to improve reporting within the sector, as well as a number of preventative and mitigation measures for the industry, within a comprehensive strategy, We demonstrate how this strategy is working towards multiple wins for the sector. These wins include economic (e.g., eco-label accreditation, cost effective technology use), operational, and environmental (e.g., ETP interactions reduced) wins, while helping to satisfy national and international protection targets for at risk species.