A worldwide review of purse seine fisheries on FADs

This paper develops a comparative overview of the development of Fish Aggregating Devices (or fads) by the tropical purse seine fisheries in various ocean areas (Atlantic, Indian, Western and Eastern Pacific Oceans). First, a comparative review of fishery statistics is developed. Recent catches on fads by purse seiners can be estimated at a level of one million tons yearly. This comparison allows to describe the fishing zones and catch trends over time, the species composition and size taken in the various fad fisheries. Skipjack tuna is the dominant species in most fad fisheries, but significant amounts of yellowfin and bigeye are also frequently taken under fads. The paper also presents an overview of various observer data concerning the by-catches of the various fisheries using fads. This comparison allows to estimate the total worldwide yearly by-catches at about 100,000 t, and their species composition in each ocean. The fad technology used in the various oceans by purse seiners is described. The recent use of fads by purse seiners has introduced major uncertainties in most stock assessments, because analyses are hampered by changes in the fishing effort in a fad fishery, by changes in fishing zones and in sizes caught. As a last point, the management of fads presently done or in view by the various tuna bodies are introduced. It appears that the present massive use of fads worldwide is perhaps an unsafe fishing mode, which could produce serious overfishing of many stocks. There is then a consensus that the use of fads needs to be controlled and limited to sustainable biological levels.