Purse seine catch retention requirements (20N - 20S)
Full Text
Catch retention 30. To create a disincentive to the capture of small fish and to encourage the development of technologies and fishing strategies designed to avoid the capture of small tunas and other fish, CCMs shall require their purse seine vessels fishing in EEZs and on the high seas within the area bounded by 20ºN and 20ºS to retain on board and then land or transship at port all bigeye, skipjack, yellowfin tuna. (See CMM 2009-02 paragraphs 8-12 for the Commission’s rules for catch retention in the high seas.) The only exceptions to this paragraph shall be: a) when, in the final set of a trip, there is insufficient well space to accommodate all fish caught in that set, noting that excess fish taken in the last set may be transferred to and retained on board another purse seine vessel provided this is not prohibited under applicable national law; or b) when the fish are unfit for human consumption for reasons other than size; or c) when serious malfunction of equipment occurs.