A pole-and-line fishing-focused guidebook has been jointly published by the Pole & Line Foundation (IPNLF) and the International Seafood Sustainability Foundation (ISSF), the organizations announced this week.
The new literature, titled “Skippers’ Guidebook to Pole-and-Line Fishing Best Practices,” details science-based best-practices for maximizing catch value while also minimizing the environmental impacts of pole-and-line fisheries. Insights from fishers, marine scientists, and pole-and-line experts are all featured within the text, which is aimed at one-by-one fishers and fishery stakeholders, according to IPNLF and ISSF.
Pole-and-line fishing has been regarded over the years as a responsible method of harvesting tuna, IPNLF said. Operators of such artisanal fishing outfits can gain practical advice on process conduct, “from capture to handling and storage methods,” with the new guidebook, IPNLF and ISSF explained.
“With the growing consumer awareness about the sustainability of seafood resources, this Guidebook is well placed to provide a resource for fishers globally to optimize the efficiency of their operations, maximize catch quality and recognize and address the environmental impacts of their activities in order to reach the increasing demand for pole-and-line caught products,” the two non-profits said in a press release.
Additional topics covered in the new guidebook include:
- Tuna species targeted by pole-and-line fisheries
- Fishing operations in pole-and-line tuna fishing
- Tuna catch handling and storage
- Baitfish catch methods, management, and utilization in pole-and-line fisheries
Each of the chapters within the text highlights a comprehensive series of examples and recommendations “to help pole-and-line fishers understand and implement best-practice guidance,” IPNLF and ISSF said.
“We believe the Skippers’ Guidebook will prove an important, practical resource not only for the many thousands of pole-and-line fishers around the world, but also for all those many more people connected to these supply chains,” said Martin Purves, managing director of IPNLF. “The profile of pole-and-line fishing has reached new levels, not only due to the low environmental impacts of these fisheries, but increasingly also because of the social benefits that they bring to the coastal communities connected to them. Like any catch method there is significant scope for further improvements in the sustainability aspects of these fisheries, providing markets with higher quality, more responsibly sourced tuna. There’s no question that this is what today’s consumers are looking for.”
“ISSF is committed to the long-term conservation and sustainable use of global tuna fisheries,” added Victor Restrepo, vice president of science at ISSF. “That commitment drives the publication of the ISSF Skippers Guidebook series for longline and purse seine vessel fishers, as well as our observer guidebook—sharing best practices with those stakeholders on the front lines of the collaborative work toward sustainable fisheries. Having expert advisors on our respective science committees in common, ISSF is pleased to partner with the International Pole and Line Foundation in expanding such science-based guidance to the pole-and-line sector.”
The “Skippers’ Guidebook to Pole-and-Line Fishing Best Practices” is available online on the ISSF and IPNLF websites.
