Conservation and Management Measures (Advanced Search)

The logbook shall be completed by the Master of the fishing vessel and submitted to the flag State administration, as well as to the coastal State administration where the vessel has fished in that coastal State's EEZ. Only the part of the logbook corresponding to the activity deployed in the coastal State EEZ shall be provided to the coastal State administration where the vessel has fished in that coastal State’s EEZ.

Noting the difficulty in implementing a data recording system on fishing vessels from developing CPCs, the data recording systems for vessels less than 24 metres of developing CPCs operating inside the EEZ shall be implemented progressively from 1 July 2016.

This Resolution supersedes Resolution 13/03 On the recording of catch and effort by fishing vessels in the IOTC area of competence.

Total catch data:

Estimates of the total catch by species and gear, if possible quarterly, that shall be submitted annually as referred in paragraph 7 (separated, whenever possible, by retained catches in live weight and by discards in live weight or numbers) for all species under the IOTC mandate as well as the most commonly caught elasmobranch species according to records of catches and incidents as established in Resolution 15/01 on the recording of catch and effort data by fishing vessels in the IOTC area of competence (or any subsequent superseding Resolution).

Catch and effort data^[1]:

a)For surface fisheries: catch weight by species and fishing effort shall be provided by 1° grid area and month strata. Purse seine and pole and line fisheries data shall be stratified by fishing mode (e.g. free swimming schools or schools in association with floating objects). The data shall be extrapolated to the total national monthly catches for each gear. Documents describing the extrapolation procedures (including raising factors corresponding to the logbook coverage) shall also be submitted routinely. Effort units reported should be consistent with those effort requirements of Resolution 15/01 (or any subsequent superseding revision).
b)Longline fisheries: catch by species, in numbers or weight, and effort as the number of hooks deployed shall be provided by 5° grid area and month strata. Documents describing the extrapolation procedures (including raising factors corresponding to the logbook coverage) shall also be submitted routinely. For the work of relevant working parties under the IOTC Scientific Committee, longline data should be of a resolution of 1° grid area and month or finer. These data would be for the exclusive use of IOTC Scientific Committee and its Working Parties, subject to the approval of the data owners and IOTC Resolution 12/02 Data confidentiality policy and procedures, and should be provided for scientific use only in a timely fashion. Effort units reported should be consistent with those effort requirements of Resolution 15/01 or any subsequent revision of such resolution.
c)For coastal  fisheries: catches by species that shall be submitted annually as referred in paragraph 7, fishing gear and fishing effort shall be submitted frequently and may be provided using an alternative geographical area if it better represents the fishery concerned. Effort units reported should be consistent with those effort requirements of Resolution 15/01 (or any subsequent superseding revision).

Provisions on catch and effort data, applicable to tuna and tuna-like species, shall also be applicable to the most commonly caught elasmobranch species according to records of catches and incidents as established in Resolution 15/01 on the recording of catch and effort by fishing vessels in the IOTC area of competence (or any subsequent superseding Resolution).

Given that the activities of purse seine supply vessels and the use of Fish Aggregating Devices (FAD) are an integral part of the fishing effort exerted by the purse seine fleet, the following data shall be provided by CPCs:

a)The number and characteristics of purse seine supply vessels: (i) operating under their flag, (ii) assisting purse seine vessels operating under their flag, or (iii) licensed to operate in their exclusive economic zones, and that have been present in the IOTC area of competence;
b)Number of days at sea by purse seine and purse seine supply vessels by 1° grid area and month to be reported by the flag state of the supply vessel;
c) The total number set by the purse seine and purse seine supply vessels per quarter, as well as:

i. The positions, dates at the time of setting, FAD identifier and FAD type (i.e. drifting log or debris, drifting raft or fad with a net, drifting raft or FAD without a net, anchored FADs and other FADs e.g. Payao, dead animal etc.;
ii. The FAD design characteristics of each FAD (consistent with Annex 1 to Resolution 15/08 Procedures on a fishing aggregating devices (FADs) management Plan, including a limitation on the number of FADS, more detailed specifications of catch reporting from FAD sets, and the development of improved FAD designs to reduce the incidence of entanglement of non-target species).

These data would be for the exclusive use of IOTC Scientific Committee and its Working Parties, subject to the approval of the data owners and in accordance with Resolution 12/02 Data confidentiality policy and procedures, and should be provided in a timely fashion.

This Resolution supersedes Resolution 10/02 on mandatory statistical requirements for IOTC Members and Cooperating Non-Contracting Parties (CPCs).

Each Contracting Party and Cooperating Non-Contracting Party (CPC) shall adopt a satellite-based vessel monitoring system (VMS) for all vessels flying its flag 24 metres in length overall or above or in case of vessels less than 24 meters, those operating in waters outside the Economic Exclusive Zone of the Flag State fishing for species covered by the IOTC Agreement within the IOTC area of competence.

Any CPC with vessels not yet equipped with VMS as already required under Resolution 06/03 (or any subsequent superseding Resolution; superseded by Resolution 15/03) shall be required to fully implement its national VMS obligation within a maximum of 1 year, i.e. by April 2016 in respect of those vessels.