Proposal for undertaking research analyses to inform discussions of mitigating impacts on cetaceans in the WCPFC purse seine tuna fishery

This paper explores scientific research that could materially assist evaluating how to mitigate impacts on cetaceans in the WCPO purse seine tuna fishery. WCPFC has taken important steps to prohibit the intentional setting on cetaceans and require the live release of cetaceans caught in purse seine nets. However, cetacean interactions persist including what may cause deleterious impacts on false killer whales, rough-toothed dolphins, short-finned pilot whales, spinner dolphins, bottlenose dolphins, and occasionally Brydes and blue whales. We invite the SC’s support for a proposal to conduct an analysis of existing WCPFC ROP observer data in order to provide objective data to answer key questions about the relative impacts of various purse seine fishing methods on Western Pacific cetaceans. This research could play a critical role in assisting discussions on the impacts on cetaceans by WCPO purse seine fleets and how to best mitigate such impacts. Scientific analyses have been undertaken by the Inter American Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) examining the relative dolphin mortality between purse seine sets made in darkness and sets made in daylight hours in the Eastern Pacific Ocean (EPO). The analysis is based exclusively on existing observer data and provides a useful reference point for a possible scientific analysis by the WCPFC.