Credits and Citations
Purse Seine Guidebook
- Table of Contents
- Chapter 1
- Chapter 2
- Chapter 3
- Introduction
- Avoid Bycatch
- Minimize the Risk of Capture
- Reduce Bycatch Mortality
- Offset Unavoidable Bycatch Mortality
- 1. Sharks and Rays
- Sharks and Rays Commonly Encountered
- Reducing Shark and Ray Bycatch
- Target Large Schools
- Attract Sharks Out of the Net
- Fish Sharks in the Net to Release Them
- Modify Fishing Gear
- On Deck Safe Handling and Releasing Techniques
- Manual Handling Do’s
- Handling Medium Sharks
- Handling Stingrays
- Handling and Release with Bycatch Release Devices
- Light Equipment
- Shark Release Ramps with Hopper
- Mobulid Sorting Grids (with Vessel’s Crane)
- Releasing Whale Sharks
- Shark Handling and Release Do’s
- Shark Handling and Release Don’ts
- End Wasteful Shark Finning
- 2. Sea Turtles
- Most Common Bycaught Sea Turtle Species
- 3. Selective Tuna Fishing: Reducing Catch of Small Bigeye & Yellowfin Tuna
- Species Identification
- Yellowfin (30-45 cm)
- Bigeye (30-45cm)
- Yellowfin (46-110cm)
- Bigeye (46-110 cm)
- Yellowfin (>110 cm)
- Bigeye (>110 cm)
- Fisher Cooperation and Input
- Chapter 4
- Introduction
- International Organizations and Instruments
- Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
- Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission
- International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas
- Indian Ocean Tuna Commission
- Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna
- Further Notes on Data Reporting and Compliance
- Conclusion
- Credits and Citations
Copyright
© International Seafood Sustainability Foundation 2025
This guidebook is a product of ISSF.
Version 4.0 – December 2025
Acknowledgements
ISSF would like to thank Laurent Dagorn (UMR MARBEC), David Itano (Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology), Jefferson Murua (AZTI), and all of the scientists and skippers who have contributed to our understanding of sustainable tuna fishing practices.
Photo Credits
ISSF extends special thanks to the photographers who contributed images to this book. Many of the images were captured on ISSF research cruises and during ISSF events, particularly by Fabien Forget, David Itano, Jeff Muir, and Jefferson Murua. We also thank illustrator Lindsay Marshall, whose work appears at www.stickfigurefish.com.au.
Citations
Dagorn, L., Filmalter, JD., Forget, F., Amandè, M.J., Hall, M., Williams, P. Murua, H., Ariz, J., Chavance, P., Bez, N. (2012) Targeting bigger schools can reduce ecosystem impacts of fisheries. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. doi: 10.1139/f2012-089
FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Department. (2009) Guidelines to reduce sea turtle mortality in fishing operations. Rome, FAO. 128pp.
Filmater, J.D., M. Capello, J.L. Deneubourg, P.D. Cowley, and L. Dagorn. 2013. Looking behind the curtain: quantifying massive shark mortality in fish aggregating devices. Front. Ecol. Environ. 11(6): 291–296. doi: 10.1890/130045. 539 (November): 207–223. doi: 10.3354/meps11514.
Gershman, D., Nickson, A., O´Toole, M., (2015) Estimating the use of FADs around the world Pew Charitable Trusts. 2015; 1-19. https://www.pew.org/-/media/assets/2015/11/global_fad_report.pdf
Poisson F., Vernet A. L., Séret B., Dagorn L. (2012) Good practices to reduce the mortality of sharks and rays caught incidentally by the tropical tuna purse seiners. EU FP7 project #210496 MADE, Deliverable 7.2., 30p.